Nodaway News Leader
August 15, 2013
The Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce has announced that Melanie Robinson-Smith has been chosen as executive director.
“We are excited to introduce Melanie to our community,” Chamber President Audra Bradley said. “Under her leadership, we know our chamber members will take full advantage of her years of experience in public administration, project management and large-event planning, to help their businesses succeed and grow in our community.”
Robinson-Smith was chosen after an extensive search conducted by a joint executive committee. She most recently served as assistant city manager for the City of Kirksville, where she directed economic development activities for the city, focusing on retail and service recruitment. She managed 12 department budgets totaling $3.5 million in annual expenses, acted on behalf of the city manager when needed and served on several committees for the Kirksville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Her past job experience also includes marketing and event planning with the Missouri Lottery and extensive work in parks and recreation management. In Kirksville, she served as community services director during which she managed staff and year-round recreational programs and coordinated media relations and budget operations.
Robinson-Smith also served as the special events coordinator for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of State Parks, helping with events such as the Katy Trail Ride and as a project officer for the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism’s Outdoor Recreation Grants Program. In that position, she provided technical assistance to communities, helping city leaders through the design, grant-writing, program requirements and construction processes for developing new parks in their areas.
“I am honored to be selected as the new executive director of the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce and look forward to meeting all of the members that make this a great organization.” said Robinson-Smith. “Maryville has been so welcoming to our family and I look forward to getting involved in all of the events and activities that make Maryville so unique.”
Robinson-Smith takes the lead from former director Luke Reven, who recently resigned to relocate to the Philadelphia area. Originally from Sturgeon, Robinson-Smith earned a bachelor’s of science degree in parks, recreation and tourism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her husband, Michael Smith, is the head coach for Northwest Missouri State University’s women’s basketball team.
The chamber will host a welcome reception to introduce Robinson-Smith to the community later this month.