Oscar Garcia to Step Down as CEO of Chamber of Commerce Mountain View

News submitted from Chamber of Commerce Mountain View:

After serving as President and Chief Executive Office of the Chamber of Commerce Mountain View for more than six years, Oscar Garcia has announced that he will be stepping down from his leadership role this fall to pursue other professional opportunities.

“Oscar has been outstanding at establishing our local chamber as a national leader by innovating and collaborating and it will not be easy to fill his shoes,” said Chamber Board Chair Cynthia Greaves. “We have formed an executive search committee to find his replacement by September 2015.”

During his tenure with the Chamber, Garcia combined his business experience with his passion for building community through coalition-building efforts. He managed staff, oversaw the budget and operations, and drove the strategic direction of the Chamber as an innovator and advocate for businesses of all sizes. He also backed up his email signoff message of “We’re not your grandfather’s Chamber of Commerce” with action.

Garcia spearheaded several innovative programs including the annual Social Media Conference, the Workforce Diversity Summit, and the Holiday Fund campaign to promote shopping at local businesses and raise funds for the Mountain View Voice holiday fundraising effort.

Garcia has also been the key relationship builder for the Chamber with the Board of Directors and a broad range of constituencies in the business, city, county, state, federal, and nonprofit sectors to build and support coalitions. In 2013, he was nominated as Chamber Executive of the Year by the Western Association of Chamber Executives (WACE).

Garcia is the TV host of Silicon Valley Business, a show highlighting innovation in the Silicon Valley. Prior to working at the Chamber, he worked in the high tech industry, including three startups, for nearly 15 years.

Garcia’s community involvement extends to serving on the board of several nonprofits. He co-founded Mesa de la Comunidad, a nonprofit that bridges underrepresented groups with business, civic and community groups.

He has received several awards for community service including La Familia Award from the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley and the NFL Hispanic Heritage Award from the San Francisco 49ers. MACSA recognized him as one of the Most Influential Latinos of Silicon Valley. He currently serves on the boards of the Mountain View Community Services Agency and Mountain View Police Activity League, and on the City of Mountain View Downtown Committee.