WESTPORT—After 12 years at the helm, Matthew Mandell will be retiring at the end of the year from his role as Executive Director and President of the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce (WWCC). Mandell was the longest-serving director in the Chamber’s 95-year history. 

According to the release, Mandell was named Executive Director and President of the Chamber in 2014. Under his leadership, he nearly tripled its membership, expanded the organization’s focus beyond traditional business to business programming to include a unique brand of highly regarded business to community initiatives. 

Mandell is responsible for many of the Chamber’s and town’s signature events and programs, including the Slice of Saugatuck, the Dog Festival, the Supper and Soul concert series, the Great Westport annual food competitions, Restaurant Week, monthly Business After Hours networking, the Halloween Window Painting contest, and this year’s new Your State, Your Business speaker series. Under Mandell’s direction, the Chamber raised and donated well over $100,000 to local non-profit organizations including Homes with Hope and TAILS among many others.

Mandell will remain an active Westport resident and community leader. He will continue to serve on the town’s Representative Town Meeting and on the Board of Trustees of Earthplace. He plans to stay involved with the Chamber ensuring a seamless transition and will continue to advise on its many events. 

“It has been an exceptional experience, one that has been an honor for me to be a part of. When you love the subject matter, Westport, it’s easy to put your heart and soul into something like this. But it’s time to find a new path with different opportunities and go from there,” said Mandell. “Of all the things I’ll look back on, it will be the work during COVID that will stand out most for me. The concerts for an entertainment starved community and all the efforts to ensure our businesses survived during that very difficult time will leave a lasting impression.” 

Paul Lebowitz, Chair of the WWCC Board of Directors, said “Matthew’s greatest contribution to the Chamber may be the events he created that brought our business community and the people of Westport together. His spirited efforts made these events successful, but more importantly, he made them fun and memorable for thousands of people. Matthew was our chief cheerleader, tireless promoter, and advocate. His enthusiasm was contagious. His commitment to the organization, the businesses we represent, and the town has been remarkable, and we are grateful for everything he has given.” 

“It has been a pleasure working with Matt, whose imagination and leadership guided the Chamber in innovative ways and steadily through the challenges of COVID. While chambers in other towns contracted, ours continued to grow and thrive. I look forward to seeing where Matt’s creativity leads him next,” said Barbara Reynolds, past chair of the WWCC board. 

The Board of Directors will conduct an open search for Mandell’s successor and is now accepting resumes from interested candidates. Applicants may contact the Chamber through its website, WestportWestonChamber.com.