Barbara Ann Heegan no longer heads the Greenwood S.C. Chamber of Commerce after the board of directors voted Tuesday to oust her.
In an email Tuesday afternoon, Chamber Board Chairperson Kristin Manske said Heegan was no longer with the Chamber as of 11:15 a.m. She said the decision was made by majority vote from the board.
A call to the phone number Heegan had used prior to Tuesday went unanswered, and a reporter was unable to reach her at her home for comment.
The news of Heegan’s ousting came a week after the board met and subsequently voted to meet with her to discuss her at-will employment. After nearly two hours behind closed doors in an executive session discussion, the board voted 8-10 on a motion to have Manske meet with Heegan — Manske later said the motion’s failure indicated the board would rather meet in full with Heegan for this discussion.
The board also met in April and voted to contract out the South Carolina Festival of Flowers. The board discussed media presence at that meeting, and Manske said the Index-Journal was welcome to its meetings following the resolution of April’s discussions. Despite being a private nonprofit, the Chamber of Commerce receives funding from taxpayer-funded groups such as the city and county governments of Greenwood, and its meetings should be subject to the state Freedom of Information Act.
The Index-Journal did not receive the 24-hour notice required for public meetings. The board’s meetings in April and last week had discussions behind closed doors, but votes taken in public session, in accordance with FOIA.
The Index-Journal asked Manske if the board had any discussion about following FOIA, which requires alerting local media of a public meeting at least 24 hours in advance. Manske did not respond to the question, nor did she provide any further information about the board’s decision regarding Heegan’s departure or the chamber’s leadership in her absence.
Heegan was hired at the end of 2019, and came to Greenwood from a previous role as president and CEO of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce in Oneonta, New York. Her background prior to working with the Greenwood Chamber was in marketing, and she previously worked as a family support specialist with the American Red Cross, helping support families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Since she joined the Chamber, it changed its focus from organizing networking events and professional mixers to prioritizing workforce and economic development. She represented the Chamber in its partnership with Greenwood County in Greenwood Together, the body formed after the collapse of the Greenwood Partnership Alliance.
“Greenwood Together works toward a common mission as a collective of partner organizations, not a single person,” said James Bateman, county economic development director. “Our collaborative structure is secure and we will continue to work together to achieve our goal of recruiting and retaining business, industry and talent in Greenwood.”
Contact staff writer Damian Dominguez at 864-634-7548 or follow on Twitter @IJDDOMINGUEZ.