After five years of service, Maryland Chamber of Commerce (MCC) President and CEO Christine Ross will be stepping down this summer.
Under Ross’s leadership, the MCC experienced a renaissance, growing membership to more than 5,500 organizations. Most notably, she relaunched the MCC’s Foundation and established the Maryland Chamber Federation, a formal, collaborative partnership with local chambers to strengthen advocacy efforts.
Ross’s vision helped refocus the MCC’s mission on educational initiatives and equity as a business imperative. Under the Foundation, the Teacher Externship program was launched and is now in its third year. This initiative helps bridge the gap between businesses and educators by pairing high school teachers with top Maryland businesses that provide hands-on experience in industries related to the subjects they teach.
This July, 25 teachers will be placed at some of Maryland’s anchor businesses, including Amazon, BGE, Stanley Black & Decker, UnitedHealthcare and Whiting-Turner.
During her tenure, the Maryland Chamber also became a trusted ally and advocate on justice reform issues. She established a second chance task force to better understand the challenges of reentry workforce development and to foster justice reform conversations with a diverse group of business and advocacy leaders from across the state.
Through the Maryland Chamber Federation, the chamber partners with local chambers of commerce to ensure the voice of small business is heard. Since launching the Federation, the powerful grassroots advocacy network has grown to more than 25 chambers and associations and more than 5,500 small business members.
The Chamber Board will immediately launch a search for Ross’s successor.