At last week’s board meeting – what the group hopes will be its last fully virtual gathering – the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors nominated and approved the coming year’s Board and Executive Committee, led by Norm Becker.
Becker, who recently retired from his longtime role as New Mexico Mutual President and CEO, will succeed current Board Chair Kyle Beasley, Senior Vice President at Bank of Albuquerque.
“Norm brings a wealth of experience to this leadership role – and not just from his 24 years at the helm of New Mexico Mutual, but also from his previous tenure as board chair in 2002,” said Chamber President and CEO Terri Cole. “Kyle did an excellent job guiding our organization through one of the most challenging years in the business community’s memory. Norm will build on those efforts to lead us into a year of new challenges – and successes.”
In addition to his years on the Chamber’s board, Becker has also served on other organizations’ boards, like PNM Resources, Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Excellent Schools New Mexico, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation, and the Economic Forum of Albuquerque.
“It’s an honor to follow the amazing business leaders who have chaired the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, most recently Kyle Beasley, and work with our CEO Terri Cole and the professionals who staff the Chamber. We will continue our good work as the most impactful voice of business,” Becker said. “Our focus will be to advocate for making our community a more attractive place for businesses to thrive and for the citizens to live. The most challenging issues that face our community are public safety, downtown transformation and public education. We will remain the voice at the table representing business on these crucial challenges.”
Norm Becker, incoming Chair of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
The Chamber also elected Peter Lorenz as Chair-Elect to lead the organization in the 2022-2023 program year. Lorenz is currently serving as Chair of the Education Reform Bold Issue Group.
Lorenz, CEO of Unirac, Inc. and with a career in energy innovation, has offered valuable insights into energy policy issues and has been an important voice in PreK-12 education conversations as Chair of the Education Reform Bold Issue Group. He has served on the Executive Committee and has been a strong supporter of the Chamber’s Leadership Albuquerque program as well.
Cole praised Lorenz’ enthusiasm and innovative approach to problem-solving as critical assets to the Chamber and the broader business community. She also expressed appreciation for his actionable advice for navigating the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented for the Chamber and local businesses.
Peter Lorenz, CEO of Unirac, Inc. and Chair-Elect of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
The full list of those elected to the Executive Committee is below.
2021-2022 Executive Committee* and Officers:
Chairman of the Board – Norm Becker*
Chair-Elect – Peter Lorenz, Unirac, Inc.*
Immediate Past Chair – Kyle Beasley, Bank of Albuquerque*
Treasurer – Kurt Shipley, Consultant*
Education BIG Chair – Bruce Stidworthy, Bohannan Huston, Inc.*
Education BIG Vice Chair – Laurie Donovan, Wells Fargo, N.A.
Public Safety BIG Chair – Paul DiPaola, U.S. Bank*
Public Safety BIG Vice Chair – Meg Meister, Modrall Sperling Law Firm
Downtown Transformation BIG Chair – Del Esparza, esparza*
Downtown Transformation BIG Vice Chair – Karl Holme, DoubleTree by Hilton Albuquerque
Legislative Session and Local Government Advocacy Chair – Sherman McCorkle, Sandia Science & Technology Park*
Leadership Albuquerque Chair – Dale Dekker, Dekker/Perich/Sabatini*
Leadership Albuquerque Vice Chair – Chris Dunkeson, Comcast
At-Large – Carolyn Ingram, Molina Healthcare*
At-Large – Chris Dunkeson, Comcast*
CANs Chair – Mike Stanford, Payday HCM*
CANs Vice Chair – Kevin Eades, Molzen-Corbin & Associates
Sector Advocacy Teams Chair – Robert Chavez, Sandia Laboratories Federal Credit Union*
ABQ Reads Chair – DeAnn Eaton, Haverland Carter Lifestyle Group*
Be sure to review the full list of 2021-2022 Chamber Board nominations – we’re celebrating these business and community leaders for committing their time and resources to tackle the biggest challenges in our community and make Albuquerque an even better place to start and grow a business.
