When illness recently forced Caldie Rogers’ retirement as CEO of The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce, its directors knew they would be challenged to find her successor.
Rogers led the chamber for 20 years, oversaw dramatic membership growth and established the organization as a business leader in Snohomish County
The chamber’s Executive Selection Committee spent several months conducting a nationwide search for Rogers’ replacement, then discovered the talent they needed in Jesica Stickles, an Arlington resident and business owner experienced in multiple areas her new role demands.
She joined the chamber in early March and is excited about what’s ahead for both her and the organization.
“One day not long ago I was listing attributes of my dream job, based on my skills and experiences,” said Stickles, who with her husband Jason, operates printing business Stickles Press. “The perfect job for me would involve nonprofit work, the business world, community and economic development and politics.
“I finished it about the time that I heard Caldie had retired and immediately sent it to the chamber.”
The directors were impressed with her enthusiasm, years of work at the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce and her experiences with event planning, marketing, grant writing, budgeting, volunteering and legislative involvement.
In the new job, her first goals include fostering regional partnerships by coordinating with public, private and community leaders to develop programs that build economic growth for the City of Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes.
She’s developing community tools, including multimedia strategies that will move the chamber into the future.
Already familiar with many of the people at the chamber, she’s ready to contribute ideas from her years of experiences with the Arlington-Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce and her role as a member of the Arlington City Council, where she’s focusing on city and county economic development issues.
“I feel energized at all the possibilities of this role,” she said, adding that she’s already set up meetings with four other chambers to build relationships. “Also, I’ll be meeting with Caldie soon as she’s able and meeting with Tulalip Tribes leaders, an area I really need to develop more than I have.”
Stickles background also includes being a member of the Puget Sound Regional Council; president and chair of the Arlington School District’s Levy Committee; and serving as the Arlington-Smokey Point chamber president in 2011.
Her husband will hire an office manager and continue running Stickles Press.
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