While the country was gearing up to see what team would win the Super Bowl and who would be awarded the game’s coveted MVP trophy, Maren Cerimele had already received the chamber of commerce world’s equivalent prize.

At the annual Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) conference held in Las Vegas in early February, Maren received the prestigious Gerald W. Hathaway Award. This honor is given yearly to one outstanding chamber staff member for advancing chamber goals, creating new systems for development, or both.

W.A.C.E includes more than 450 chambers and over 1,300 chamber professionals in 21 states and Canada, and Maren stood out among a multitude of worthy nominees.

“It is a true honor to receive this award,” says Maren. “It symbolizes the power of vision and collaboration, inspiring everyone in the chamber profession to strive for excellence and create meaningful change in our communities and beyond. I’m grateful to be part of the Vail Valley Partnership, an organization that actively listens to community needs and leads the way to provide impactful, innovative programming to our members and the broader community.”

Maren will celebrate a decade with the Vail Valley Partnership next month – ten years in which she demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and innovation in fostering member and stakeholder relationships. She is also lauded as a caring, kind, collaborative teammate by her colleagues and VVP members. Maren was recently promoted to Vice President of Strategic Initiatives after serving as Director of Membership since 2015.

Maren currently manages VVP projects for various grant-funded programs, including the Eagle County Workforce Ecosystem Mapping project. This innovative program is designed to spotlight key industry sectors and career opportunities in five identified high-need local career pathways; such pioneering programs are one of the many reasons Maren was chosen as the Hathaway Award recipient.

“Maren is the glue that holds our award-winning team together,” noted VVP president and CEO Chris Romer in support of Maren’s nomination. “She is a caring and compassionate leader dedicated to the success of not only our organization but our members and our community. I am thrilled that the Hathaway Award committee recognized that her professional growth and dedication to helping our organization strive is rivaled only by her commitment to Eagle County’s businesses.”

--

Gerald W. Hathaway was a 25-year veteran of the chamber industry who died of leukemia in 1978. The award is given in his memory and includes a scholarship to the next year’s W.A.C.E. conference.

W.A.C.E. is the premier organization for education and professional development for chamber executives and staff.