Who We Are
The Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce is governed by a 19-member Board of Directors.
2026 Executive Committee
Carl Johnson
Chairperson
Carl Johnson Real Estate
@ Coldwell Banker HPW
Kelly Davis
Vice Chair
Herring & Bickers Insurance
Jessica Nilles
Treasurer
First National Bank
Jaclyn Krohn
Secretary
Durham Tech
Community College
Rodney Clapp
Immediate Past Chairman
Fidelity Bank
2026 Board Members
Cynda Beauchamp
Edward Jones Investments
Catherine Capp
UNC Health
Matt Dietz
NC Farm Bureau
Jada Jarillo
Chapel Hill Media Group
Wendi Manley
PHE, Inc.
Leslie Sellers
VIETRI
Shanell Smaw
Habitat for Humanity
Jennifer Warren
Warren-Hay Mechanical
Clay Wrisley
Triangle Media Partners
2026 Ex Officio Board Members
Mark Bell
Mayor
Town of Hillsborough
Steve Brantley
Director
Orange County Economic Development
Shannan Campbell
Planning and Economic Development Manager
Town of Hillsborough
Scott Czechlewski
Chief Executive Officer
Hillsborough/Orange County
Chamber of Commerce
Laurie Paolicelli
Executive Director
Chapel Hill/Orange County
Visitors Bureau
Chamber Staff
Chief Executive Officer
Scott Czechlewski
scott@hillsboroughchamber.com
A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, Scott’s career began in Atlanta, where he worked as a book editor, followed by a stint in Manhattan at Simon & Schuster (Pocket Books). After returning to the Tarheel State, he worked in the City of Wilmington Mayor’s Office handling communications for the Mayor and Council.
As communications director for the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce for 16 years, Scott developed all marketing and communications. He worked with Richard Florida’s team, Catalytix, on the launch of the Cape Fear Future knowledge sector workforce development initiative and managed the publication of Regional Economic Scorecards comparing Wilmington to other cities viewed as competition for jobs, talent and start-ups. His “Your Advocate” branding campaign for the Wilmington Chamber won the Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Excellence Award.
As co-director of Leadership Wilmington, Scott provided management of the class project: the annual Work On Wilmington community service event that completed 30+ projects at area schools and non-profits. His collaborative community projects included the marketing team for the USS NC SSN 777 submarine commissioning and the three-county Choose Cape Fear regional branding initiative. As chairman of the Wilmington Sister City Commission, he helped establish a twinning with San Pedro, Belize. Currently, he is a member of the Hillsborough Tourism Board and the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough.
Finance DirectorKat Kirschner Growing up in coastal North Carolina, Kat relocated to the Triangle to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, where she earned her undergraduate degree. After many successful years in financial management and private banking, she made a shift to the non-profit sector. Kat is responsible for Chamber bookkeeping, financial matters, and general office administration. We happily share her with local historic site The Burwell School, where she serves as their finance director. She lives with her family in Orange County. |
Member Success Coordinator
Erika Isley
membership@hillsboroughchamber.com
Erika moved to the U.S. from her native Hungary 25 years ago. Her nine years of retail experience are the foundation of her desire to assist local business owners in reaching and exceeding their goals through Chamber membership. As Member Success Coordinator, she is responsible for overseeing new member onboarding, providing callers and visitors with area information, business referrals to our members, and organizing ribbon cuttings and other events. Erika has a degree in Social Services from the Theological Academy of Budapest and, of course, is fluent in Hungarian!