National City Chamber of Commerce announced and installed new President and Chief Executive Officer Chad Matkowski on Feb. 11 in a ceremony conducted by National City Mayor Alejandra Sotelo-Solis.
The presentation was part of the 111th annual installation and awards ceremony, Show the Love, held by the Chamber.
Matkowski, who most recently served as McGrath Family YMCA Executive Director in Rancho San Diego, brings 15 years of non-profit experience to the Chamber.
Board Chair Angelica Carrillo said they are thrilled to introduce Matkowski, who has impacted over 200,000 San Diegans throughout his career, to the community of National City and the surrounding area.
“We believe that he will grow the Chamber into an even greater and more successful organization that will create a lasting impact in the South Bay.”
Carillo also said Matkowski will work closely with staff and the Chamber board in his new role to ensure the organization can continue to adapt to serve small businesses and the community through the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. One of his first acts as President/CEO is putting together a COVID-19 recovery taskforce.
Additionally, Matkowski wants to ensure that members and local businesses are well informed on what benefits currently exist for them and is putting together a recovery plan for the National City business community.
“I am honored to serve as the CEO of the National City Chamber of Commerce, and I look forward to working and growing this great community,” Matkowski said.
After Matkowski was installed in his new role, awards were presented to members of the National City community.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was posthumously given to Vietnam Veteran and Purple Heart recipient Manuel Cavada. Cavada documented the community of National City through a career in photography that included 30 years of capturing Sweetwater High schoolers, Chicano Federation events and the California Association of Bilingual Educators, as well as teaching photography at El Centro Cultural de La Raza and the MAAC project.
Valerie Hash received the Community Leader Award for her work in the education community, including workforce development and curriculum design at the MAAC project, as well as in San Diego Unified School District classrooms.
The Volunteer of the Year award was given to Dan Vaccaro, a frequent Chamber volunteer with a background in corporate marketing.
City Manager Brad Raulston was given the Leslie Deese City Champion Award in part for his work with local non-profits such as Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, Habitat for Humanity, and A Reason to Survive.
MyPoint Credit Union was awarded the 2020 Business of the Year award in part for its financial support throughout a challenging fiscal year. In addition to offering financial training sessions through the Chamber, MyPoint also partnered with small business owners for community events when possible.
Visit www.nationalcitychamber.org for more information on this or other Chamber events.
