2020-2021 Board of Directors

A Message from our Chair

As a native Odessan who has chosen to raise my family and pursue my career in Odessa, I must say I have never looked back. I have been blessed with more opportunity in this community than most could even imagine.

While I believe our future is always bright, I also cannot think of a time where we as a community have the complexity of challenges in front of us as we do right now. Not only are we facing the impact of worldwide plays on our oil and gas economy, but we are also in the midst of a global pandemic and all that it entails. As a result, we have seen our community struggle at all levels. Families are struggling with loss of income and modified lifestyles to accommodate the educational needs of our children. Tax revenues that our city, county, and hospital require are waning due to the downturn in oil prices, business closures or modified capacities, furloughs and job loss. Our hospitals and other medical providers are struggling with reduced elective volume needed to sustain financial viability, yet at times coping with high cost COVID-19 treatments and related long patient stays. We are experiencing a need far greater than resources can provide by most of our nonprofit organizations that serve those in need. We have endured hurt and anger over injustices in our society that can not be ignored.

The energy industry has dipped like never before, causing a major loss in jobs. Odessa is dependent on the oil and gas service industry and while energy will always be our major economic driver, our Economic Development team seeks out businesses to come to Odessa to help diversify our workforce. Our hospitality industry has been hit hard, just like every other community across America. Our Discover Odessa team is a great resource for that industry and has worked right alongside them to help find ways to weather this storm. While large gatherings may not look the same, our Chamber Operations team will continue to seek ways to bring people together to network, cultivate leadership and pride in this wonderful place we call home.

Our Chamber will work with our educators to help support Odessa’s families as they migrate through the challenges of remote learning. Public Health needs in our community have been spotlighted due to COVID-19 and we must focus on how we as citizens can ban together to elevate a healthier lifestyle, thus create a better quality of life. Our Chamber has three main values that drive our mission: Collaborate, Communicate and Advocate. As we maneuver through these unprecedented times, may we as leaders come together to identify issues, needs and solutions to build on the growth and success of Odessa.

We as a Chamber can and should lead our community through these challenges. My focus for the upcoming year will be working with our community stakeholders and chamber members to come together to identify the resources needed to move us beyond these challenges. We will pull upon the many talents of the leaders in our community to identify new resources to help those in need through these difficult times. I eagerly accept this honor in representing the Chamber as the 20-21 Board Chair, and I ask that you come along and be part of this historical time as we re-build our economy and community together.

Sincerely,
Stacey Brown

2020-2021 Odessa Chamber of Commerce Chair