Jennifer Tate has been named president of the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce and was introduced to the board of directors during an informal lunch on Tuesday.

Tate, who currently resides in Faunsdale, will begin full-time on Monday, March 1, but will maintain part-time hours throughout the remainder of the month.

“I’m excited about the opportunity,” she said of leading the county’s largest business-to-business organization.

“I’m really looking forward to getting out and meeting all the business owners and talking with them about their businesses.”

Tate assumes the Chamber’s leadership role following Kelley Smith’s resignation following Christmas on the River.

The biggest challenge facing the Chamber mirrors those facing many of the businesses that it serves — surviving and thriving in a struggling economy.

“We plan to work with the Industrial Development Board when needed, and we plan to hold business-to-business workshops,” she said. “I want to help provide business with exposure, which will help drive people to their doors.”

The Chamber is also charged with improving tourism and helping Demopolis become a destination, which Tate said she planned to tackle by highlighting some of the city’s most valuable assets — its people.

“My goal is to help promote arts and culture through fun and profitable events,” she said. “We want to bring more people to the town to retire, stay or visit.”

Tate began her professional career as an art teacher with the Shelby County School System. She has also served as a computer trainer based in Selma for five years. She is the artist-in-residence for Demopolis City Schools.

“I showed businesses how to use computers to market their business and how to best use their computers to improve their business,” she said.

Tate and her husband, Greg, have two children who are enrolled in the Demopolis City School System.

Jeff, who is employed with Motion Industries, is a Marengo County native.