ToniRae Hurley takes the helm at the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
Wendy Murray retires
When Wendy Murray took over as executive director of the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce in 2020, the organization was struggling. It had fewer than 100 members and stopped doing a lot of what it used to do because of the pandemic.
Murray helped bring the Chamber back. And when she decided to step down from the position this summer she found a worthy replacement, someone who has made volunteerism the foundation of her career.
ToniRae Hurley, a North Fort Myers resident, has become the new executive director of the Chamber Foundation and CEO of the North Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce, which is how chambers nationwide have evolved.
Hurley took over the reins on Oct. 27 after the Calvin Peete Golf Classic.
Hurley finds herself with a Chamber chapter in much better shape than when Murray stepped in. Her job will be to continue the steady growth they have seen in the last five years.
Hurley has lived in Florida for more than 20 years and retired a few years ago after a successful career in banking in Cape Coral.
Hurley did a lot of volunteer work, which is something very important for Chamber leaders. She served on the board of Leadership Cape Coral, was a board member and ambassador with the Cape Coral Community Foundation, was board president with the Pace Center of Girls for 10 years, was president of the Cape Coral Housing Development Corporation and did countless events throughout the area.
“When I learned about this position – because I was getting a little bored at home – I jumped right on it. Wendy and I hit it off on the phone and, the rest is history,” Hurley said.
Murray believes her strong commitment to volunteering and ambassadorship will be a tremendous asset to the Chamber.
Hurley said she plans to continue to keep the Chamber in a forward moving direction in whatever way it takes to get the job done, such as new events.
“I’m not planning to reinvent the wheel until I get my feet wet and meet the current members. Then, I’ll hit the ground running to find new members (there are currently 165) and maybe try to throw different events,” Hurley said. “I’m great at putting on events. I put on events for Relay for Life for five years and the Funky Fashion Show for the Pace Center for Girls for the past seven.”
Hurley’s early assessment has been encouraging. She has spoken to several businesses in the area and has enjoyed how the correspondence has gone.
“Everyone has been so nice, and I’m so looking forward to getting out on my established calling days and meeting all kinds of people and seeing people I already know from my previous life,” Hurley said.
Hurley can potentially bring in new members as she is well-networked.
Chamber president John Gardner said the organization is up for some fresh ideas.
“We have some good ideas for things in the future. Membership is doing good, and Toni has some additional connections and is already bringing in new members,” Gardner said.