STEUBENVILLE — Just over three years after first taking the reigns, Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce President Kate Sedgmer has announced her resignation and is preparing to take the next step in her career.

The chamber’s president since Jan. 1, 2022, Sedgmer will serve her last day on Jan. 17, after which she’ll begin as the new director of marketing and communications for Harrison Hills City School District.

A Cadiz resident, Sedgmer said on Wednesday that the career move will significantly shorten her work commute and permit her to be “on the same schedule” as her family. Sedgmer has two children enrolled in the school district.

“I’m headed home to be a Husky. I’m an alumni of that district, so I’m excited to be going back to my roots, in a sense. I was fortunate to be the chosen one (for the position). It certainly was a hard decision to make, but, personally, it works better for my family as far as the normal schedule — as opposed to the crazy one that a chamber president has.”

The chamber’s board of directors is accepting applications for the next president through Jan. 22. Interested applicants should e-mail their résumé and cover letter, including their qualifications and vision for the role, to board chair Mel Dragoun at melaniedragoun25@gmail.com. A job description can be found at https://bit.ly/3DJrExZ.

“They’re hoping to fill the spot fairly quickly,” Sedgmer said. “I’ve also agreed to come back and help with the transition. Primarily, the chamber staff and board are all excellent and will be able to make sure the transition goes as seamlessly as possible.”

Having previously worked a decade in the nonprofit sector, Sedgmer oversaw various milestones for the chamber during her tenure as president: Bringing the Jefferson County Young Professionals and the Better Business Bureau Networking Group under the chamber’s auspices, as well as initiating the Countywide Career Fair and Spring Home Show.

The chamber — which is aimed at maximizing member-businesses’ performance through resources like advocacy, education and networking — has seen membership grow by more than 200 since Sedgmer’s arrival. She credited prior chamber President Tricia Maple-Damewood for setting the framework for that success.

“I stepped into the chamber that had a really wonderful foundation thanks to the past president, Tricia Maple. I was able to build and expand on all of our programs and initiatives and grow our membership because of the foundation that I walked into. … I’m so proud of (the growth), but I certainly couldn’t have done it without the wonderful chamber staff standing behind me and making sure that everything was getting done and we were responsive to members.”

Sedgmer continued: “When I started at the chamber, my primary goal was just to uplift our community, to make sure that people coming in — whether for tourism or, hopefully, for moving in — understood that Jefferson County is a vibrant place to live work and play, and all I needed to do, really, was showcase what we have to offer …”

Sedgmer said she’s firmly confident that, “no matter what happens, the chamber will be in good hands.”

“The board (members) are dedicated, wonderful businesspeople who care about here success of the chamber. The day-to-day operations, our staff will be able to hold the fort down until somebody new comes. The beautiful thing about chamber presidents is that everyone that we’ve had, the come in and they make the role their own and change what the focus might be. But at our core, we’re here to service the community, and I think that whoever they end up with will be a reflection of what the board is and their values.”

Sedgmer said that the past years with the chamber have been the best of her professional life, and she “couldn’t have imagined a more perfect role” for her to fill. Thus, the decision reportedly came as a surprise to herself.

“I had planned to be here for a long time, and I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to fulfill that goal, but I’m just moving on to better myself and to better my family. I feel very confident that I’m leaving the chamber in really great hands, and whatever is to come will be the new path and it will all work out how it’s supposed to.”