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Sinders to lead Indiana Chamber of Commerce, first woman in that role

A posed headshot of Vanessa Green Sinders, a White woman with brunette hair.
Josh Humble
/
Courtesy of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce
Vanessa Green Sinders becomes the first woman to serve as president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.

The Indiana Chamber of Commerce named its new leader Thursday, after longtime president and CEO Kevin Brinegar announced his retirement last year.

Vanessa Green Sinders will step into the role, beginning next month.

Sinders has worked for two decades on policy in Washington, D.C. That includes leading the lobbying work of a hotel trade group and Charter Communications.

She’s only lived in Indiana for a year, moving here with her husband, a Hoosier native. And Sinders said once she started networking, she found out about the chamber position.

“I wanted my next professional move to be something that was more focused on my community, as most of my roles in D.C. were more nationally focused,” Sinders said.

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Sinders said her focus as she takes the helm will be on collaboration and acting on feedback.

“I think the chamber has a real opportunity to take a leadership role in providing the resources and support to the state to make sure that our workforce is best positioned, that our businesses are best positioned,” Sinders said.

Sinders is the first woman to be president and CEO of the Indiana Chamber.

Brandon is our Statehouse bureau chief. Contact him at bsmith@ipbs.org or follow him on Twitter at @brandonjsmith5.

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Brandon Smith has covered the Statehouse for Indiana Public Broadcasting for more than a decade, spanning three governors and a dozen legislative sessions. He's also the host of Indiana Week in Review, a weekly political and policy discussion program seen and heard across the state. He previously worked at KBIA in Columbia, Missouri and WSPY in Plano, Illinois. His first job in radio was in another state capitol - Jefferson City, Missouri - as a reporter for three stations around the Show-Me State.