Chamber Leadership

2022 Board of Directors

Executive Committee

Directors

Advisory Board

*Director At Large

Chamber Staff

 

Executive Director

Jay Lifson
 925-284-7404, Ext. 111
 

Jay Lifson was born and raised in the slums of Beverly Hills. Yes, there really are slums in Beverly Hills. He attended Beverly Hills High School where he spent a lot of time playing football and running track. It’s a shame Jay suddenly stopped growing at the age of 15. Please don’t bring it up, he thinks he is 5’10”. Jay was a Boy Scout, until he was asked to leave. Actually he was told to leave.

Jay began his long restaurant career with Bob’s Big Boy, home of “Steaks, Shakes and Pancakes.” It is rumored that the “Big Boy” statue is actually modeled after Jay.

Jay and his “not too smart” partners bought a restaurant in Lafayette in 1982. The Rocking Horse was on the west end of town and Jay operated that for a little over 5 years.

Jay managed Hungry Hunter, the Lafayette Park Hotel & Spa & Duck Club and Bing Crosby’s Restaurant before he took the job at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. The Rocking Horse is gone. Hungry Hunter, gone. Duck Club, adios. Bing’s, history. 0-5 way to go Jay.

Jay is the proud father of three daughters and Papa to his three grandsons. His bride Kathy Doyle is an RN at Kaiser Walnut Creek. They have been married for over 37 years.

Now that you have learned all of this, aren’t you just a little more concerned about our city?

Jay has been your Executive Director of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce for seventeen years. At one point he was your President/CEO. But during the recession and COVID-19 times got tough and the chamber just could not afford a CEO at the time, so he’s your Executive Director again.

Enough kidding around! It is truly a pleasure to serve the businesses and residents of Lafayette. We are lucky to have such a wonderful place to call home. This community has a big heart and soul and I will do whatever I can to make sure the Lafayette Chamber is busy contributing to our collective success. We model our organization after a big happy family (without the mini-dramas).

Real news … I’ll be retiring the fall of October 2022, yup, to spend more time with family!

 

Associate Executive Director

Sara Regan
 925-284-7404, Ext. 110

 

Sara Regan is at home in Lamorinda, although born and raised through high school in the Midwest, her family put down roots in Moraga in the late 80’s. She and her husband moved to Lafayette in 2000 to raise their own family and later relocated to Moraga. They have four active kids, now mostly young adults. She has spent many hours cheering in the bleachers around town, volunteering in classrooms, organizing team events, etc… Sara started at the Lafayette Chamber in 2014 and enjoys working with our membership, neighbors, community partners, friends, and school liaisons to promote local businesses and community events. She loves to travel any chance she gets.

 

Office Manager

Linda Carlson
 925-284-7404, Ext. 113

 

 

 

Communications Director

Holly Sonne
 925-284-7404, Ext. 115
 

Holly Sonne has been promoting Lafayette and supporting our nonprofit and business community as Communications Director at the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce since 2016. She invites you to visit Lafayette’s downtown and enjoy the many community events including the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival held in September. She is the mother of two students, resides in Lafayette, and hits  the slopes as much as possible.

 

Ginny W. Quell with husband John

Ginny W. Quell with husband John

Office Administrator

Ginny W. Quell
 925-284-7404, Ext. 116
 

 

It has been a privilege to be apart of the Lafayette community for… too many years to count! I started my journey in Lafayette as a Teaching Artist at Town Hall Theatre and later served as the Director of Education. During my time at Town Hall I was very involved with community events, specifically Rotary and Chamber events such as the Lafayette Art & Wine, It’s A Wonderful Life, Concert at the Res. It was always a joy getting our students outside and giving the public a glimpse of what we were doing in our little barn! Shout out to my Town Hall Family, go see some live theatre! I spent several years prior to COVID working as the Program Manager for Performing Academy, working with our school districts, school administration, parents, and students creating opportunities on campuses to “tell a story”. I recently received my credential and currently pursuing my master’s degree from St. Mary’s College. And my very favorite tie to Lafayette is the meeting of my husband, current musician tech at Lamorinda Music! We married in 2019 on the stage at the Lafayette Reservoir! I am thrilled to be joining this hardworking team and look forward to supporting our members and connecting many times over!

 

AJ Glassman and Ginny W Quell Art & Wine Festival Setup

AJ Glassman and Ginny W. Quell during Art & Wine Festival Setup

Member Engagement Coordinator

AJ Glassman
 925-284-7404, Ext. 117
 

AJ Glassman joins the chamber as the new membership engagement coordinator. He brings with him a background of working in startups in marketing and operations (if his face looks familiar, you may have previously seen him representing Local Kitchens at chamber events!). AJ is excited to join the Chamber of Commerce as a staff member because it combines his strong interests in small business/small enterprise, and his degree from UC Berkeley in City Planning.

2022 Ambassadors
Committees

To accomplish its many activities the Chamber has the following committees:

Ambassadors Committee

The Ambassadors are the face of the chamber. They are the goodwill arm of the Lafayette Chamber. Ambassadors have an opportunity to grow their business by participating in Chamber activities while making new contacts and friends. This is a win-win!

Ambassadors roles include:

    • Reach out to welcome new members via email or phone call.
    • Provide friendly assistance to new members to help them better understand and utilize their chamber membership.
    • Volunteering at Chamber Hosted events.

Art & Wine Committee

  • Meets year round to help staff and produce this annual event
  • Coordinates community volunteers for event

Budget & Finance Committee

  • Consists of the incoming President, Treasurer and the Executive Director
  • Prepares the annual budget for the board’s approval

Business Issues/Governmental Affairs Committee

  • Meets the fourth Friday of each month
  • Identifies issues that the Chamber will explore and consider making recommendations to the board for action
  • Facilitates communications between the Chamber and governmental representatives/agencies
  • Provides representation at City Council and commission meetings
  • Develops pro-active, timely position statements on relevant issues on behalf of the Chamber
  • Implements community forums to promote dialogue on city issues impacting the business community
  • Works on behalf of membership to encourage a positive, pro-business environment

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Committee

  • Meets regularly to encourage the Chamber and its members to embrace DEI principles.
  • Encourages business owners of underrepresented communities to apply to be Chamber members
  • Seeks diversified set of candidates for Chamber Board and other leadership positions
  • Educates Chamber members about the responsibilities and benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in their businesses

Election Committee

  • Consists of up to five members, including at least one member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed by the President
  • The Executive Director will serve as secretary with no voting privileges
  • Meetings start in June of each year
  • Charged with identifying members to serve as board members. Deliver a slate of candidates to the board
  • Recommend for approval of the board a slate of officers to serve as the Executive Committee

Executive Committee

  • Officers of the Chamber Board
  • Meets on the first Tuesday of each month
  • Nominated by the in-coming President and the Elections Committee
  • Made up of the President, Past President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer & Executive Director
  • Makes recommendations to the Board of Directors
  • Direction level of the organization

Green Committee

  • Meets as needed
  • Partners with the City of Lafayette (Environmental Task Force) and Sustainable Lafayette
  • Develops new programs to assist local businesses in being more environmentally friendly
  • Aligns with the recommendations made by the city’s Environmental Task Force
  • Works with Sustainable Lafayette

Membership Committee

  • Committee co-chaired by the Membership Director
  • Directs recruitment and retention of Chamber members
  • Develops and monitors member services and benefits

Reservoir Run Committee

  • Meets year round to work with staff in planning & producing annual Reservoir Run
  • Coordinates community volunteers for event

Helping Lafayette Businesses Committee

  • Meets regularly to develop & implement programs to promote the local economy
  • Works with local newspapers to offer advertising discounts to Chamber members
  • Promotes the “Welcome Back Lafayette” program

Taste of Lafayette Committee

  • Meets as needed to help staff produce annual event
  • Coordinates with the Lafayette Community Foundation

Technology Committee

  • Meet as needed to develop and implement best practices for moving the organization forward