St. Cloud Chamber of Commerce Names New President

(KNSI) – A new President has been selected to run the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber’s Board of Directors has picked Julie Lunning as the new president of the Chamber of Commerce.

Lunning replaces long-time president Teresa Bohnen who is retiring on August 31.

Lunning will assume the role of president on September 1, 2021.

According to the Chamber, Lunning and Bohnen will work together to transition leadership.

Lunning will be responsible for all Chamber operations, including working with the Board of Directors, supervising the seven staff members, and running the government affairs programs.

Lunning has been the executive director of the Chamber’s Convention & Visitors Bureau since 1998 and will continue to oversee the operations of the CVB and its staff of four.

As executive director of the CVB, she’s responsible for sales and marketing strategies, budgeting, government relations, and overall operations of the bureau.

She was awarded the Outstanding Individual in Tourism by the State of Minnesota in 2017.

Bohnen was named president of the Chamber in 1998. She is the first woman to be named president, the chief paid member of the staff.

During her tenure, she helped lead the funding of the River’s Edge Convention Center, developed a robust government affairs program, established the St. Cloud Area Chamber Charitable Foundation, and launched Central Minnesota’s only publication designed for businesses, Business Central Magazine.

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