Heidi Sorrell was named the new executive director of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday.

Maddy Olsen, who previously served as director of the chamber since February 2023, resigned in December after the birth of her child. Sorrell, after being introduced by Chamber Board President Chuck Winters during a Wednesday luncheon, said she’d hit the ground running only earlier this week.

“I am absolutely thrilled and honored to have the position as the new Soldotna Chamber of Commerce executive director,” she said. “We have an incredible community here, and I am so excited to be a part of that in a tangible way, where we can connect all of our businesses and network and promote the thriving atmosphere and economic growth that we all want to see here and that we already are seeing.”

Soon to come from the chamber, she said, is the annual Sweeney’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Soldotna’s first ever job shadow day on March 26, and annual Soldotna Chamber scholarship programs.

In a letter from Sorrell published to Facebook and included in this week’s chamber newsletter, she writes that she’s spent “over a decade” working in state construction, and also has experience in finance and in community organizations like Kenai Peninsula Pop Warner and others.

In those roles, she writes that she’s learned to tackle large projects and to develop relationships between public and private entities. She’s also learned, she writes, “the power of a strong community and the magic that happens when businesses come together to support one another.”

She also describes herself as a mother “of four academic rockstars” enrolled in Kenai Peninsula Borough School District schools. Supporting the next generation, she writes, means “championing local businesses that help build the foundation for their futures.”

“I’m excited to bring all of this experience to the table as I step into this role, and I truly believe we can achieve great things together,” Sorrell writes. “My goal is to create an environment where our businesses can grow, our community can flourish, and everyone feels like they have a stake in Soldotna’s bright future.”

For more information, find “Soldotna Chamber of Commerce” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.