The Cobb Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce the selection of David Connell to serve as its president and CEO. He will be joining the team on November 1.
David has been associated with the Southern Company and its subsidiaries for 40 years, which includes serving four years as a base civil engineering officer in the United States Air Force during his career. Most recently, he has served as the region manager for Georgia Power’s Metro West Region. In addition to Georgia Power, David has held senior positions at Alabama Power, Southern Company and Southern Company Service. David has an engineering degree from Auburn University and advanced business degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and Harvard University.
A seven person selection committee began the search process at the beginning of the year, hiring Waverly Partners as executive search consultants. Waverly Partners, based in Cleveland, Ohio, are known for their extensive work in recruiting Chamber CEO’s on a national level.
“We used Waverly Partners to guide our process of selecting the right person to lead our Chamber into the future. We began by contacting and interviewing candidates from around the country, and ultimately, our selection committee was unanimous in recommending David to the Chamber’s Board of Directors,” said Chamber Chairman Rob Garcia. “The Cobb Chamber is a well known and well respected leader in our county, region and nation, and it deserves the best we could find, and we are confident that we have selected that individual.”
Former chairman of Cobb County Board of Commissioners Sam Olens said, “David has the leadership skills, economic development expertise, local and regional relationships, integrity and vision to successfully lead our chamber. This is a home run!” Connell is very active in the Cobb community. In addition to being chairman of the Cobb Chamber in 2005, David has served as past chairman of the Regional Business Coalition, Theatre in the Square, the Cobb United Way Campaign, the Cobb County Public Schools Educational Foundation, the WellStar Foundation, Marietta Kiwanis Business and Public Affairs Committee, as well as many other community initiatives and galas.
He currently serves on numerous boards, including the state-wide Driver Services Board to which he was appointed by Gov. Perdue in 2007.
“David is the perfect choice to lead our Chamber. In his role at Georgia Power, David has truly represented Cobb County, as well as the interests of the Atlanta region and the state. He combines a love and knowledge of Cobb with a clear understanding of Cobb’s leadership position in the region. I look forward to working with him at the Chamber and at the ARC,” said chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission and former chairman of the Cobb Chamber Tad Leithead.
David has received numerous awards for his civic involvement, including the Earnest Barrett Award (2001), the Len Gilbert Award (2002), the Mack Henderson Public Service Award (2004), the East Cobb Citizen of the Year (2004), the Boy Scouts of America’s Silver Beaver Award, their highest award for a volunteer (2005), the NAACP’s Presidential Award (2006 and 2008), the Secretary of State’s Outstanding Georgia Citizen (2006), and the U.S. President ‘s Volunteer Service Award (2008). David is a graduate of Leadership Cobb, Honorary Commanders, and the Regional Leadership Institute (RLI).
“I applaud the Cobb Chamber’s decision to hire David Connell. I have known David for over twenty years and he is an outstanding leader. His passion for excellence and his love for Cobb County will serve the community well,” said current chairman and CEO of Southern Company David Ratcliffe.
Connell was born and raised in Nashville, GA and is married to the former Pam Cotten of Nashville, TN, they have four children and two grandchildren. Connell is the deacon at East Cobb Church of Christ, where he and Pam are actively involved. “I am humbled by the confidence that has been placed in me and I will not let this community down. I am looking forward to continuing the outstanding legacy of this Chamber,” said Connell. “With the relationships we have and will develop; the support and the partnerships we plan to continue and to create; and, the work of a terrific staff, I believe we can help Cobb County compete even better in the years ahead. During my first six months, we plan to get to know what our members want from this Chamber; we will seek out ‘best practices’ from chambers throughout this country; we will evaluate everything we do and how we do it; and, we will ensure that our team delivers what the Board of Directors and our members have asked us to do. I am excited and ready to go to work.”
Roger Tutterow, professor of Economics at Mercer University will be assuming the vacant seat on the Cobb Chamber Board of Directors as Chairman of Economic Development.
