Chamber announces staff departure
RELEASE 16-019
John Seymour, president and CEO of the Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce, announced today that Mandy Price, director of workforce development and education, will step down from her position effective Aug. 31, 2016, to become the executive director of newly formed North Alabama Workforce Development Alliance (NAWDA).
Price is responsible for expanding the public and private workforce training efforts for the emerging, 
unemployed and underemployed workers in Morgan County. The focus of her work helps provide a well-trained workforce with the skills to meet the needs of area businesses and industries. Also part of her focus is the Chamber’s education programming – including the Starting Strong Initiative that has helped expand the availability of pre-k education to more than 200 children in Morgan County.
“Mandy is one of the most respected workforce development minds in our region, and the work she has done with industry, our school systems and small businesses in Decatur will have a lasting impact in the lives of young people and adults,” said Seymour. “Her impact can be seen in the long list of opportunities for people to improve their skills and be part of a strong workforce, as well as building healthy partnerships between our three area school systems and the business community.”
Other programs in her area include the Partners-In-Education program, Endless Opportunities, the Quality Education Committee, the Diversity Development Committee, the Summer Welding & Electrical Technology (SWeETy) Camp for high school girls, and Equip Leadership – the eighth grade leadership curricula dedicated to exposing career opportunities in the trade industries to young people.
Price joined the Chamber in 2014, having previously worked as executive assistant to the president and workforce development coordinator for Contractor Services & Fabrication, Inc., of Decatur. Among her responsibilities with Contractor Services were leadership and crew craft skills development, planning and directing programs to enhance the knowledge and skills of project managers and craft employees, and overseeing jobsite training coordinators and craft instructors in the delivery of National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER)-accredited development.
She graduated from Athens State University in Athens, Ala., with a degree in business administration. Among her several professionals certifications, Price is among 30 recent graduates of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) Fellowship for Education Attainment program, a national workforce development and training program preparing chamber professionals in the fields of education and workforce training. More than 3,200 applicants apply for the fellowship each year. Price and her family live in Hartselle.
The Chamber is currently reviewing candidates to fill Price’s position once she departs. In the interim period, the Chamber staff will continue the workforce and education programing developed by Price and the Board while the search process unfolds.
