Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Her first week may not have been what was expected, but new LaGrange-Troup Chamber President Connie Hensler has taken on the role with confidence.

Hensler was named the new chamber CEO and president in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her first day was April 6.

“This is definitely a different time to start something new like this,” Hensler said. “But everybody has been so welcoming. The staff here, the community and everyone has been so great. This has been a great transition for me.”

The chamber is currently focused on how it can help and support its members during the midst of closures and the governor’s shelter-in-place order.

“We are looking at ways we can continue to support our members and how we can be a great resource for them,” Hensler said. 

Before stepping into her chamber position, Hensler served as the executive director of the American Red Cross in LaGrange.

“Serving in that role was a great way to be of service and help needs that were here,” Hensler said. “The chamber was another way of giving back to this community in particular, and to really be a part of it and support it in any way I could.”

Hensler said she’s excited to begin her leadership role at the chamber.

“I’m excited for all the things that the chamber does,” she said. “We are such a great resource, and we have great membership. The community working together and doing things that continue to help us move forward is something I am really excited to be a part of.”

Hensler said one thing the chamber is striving to do is guide businesses during uncertain times.

“We are excited for us to get to the events that we have scheduled and everyone really being able to come together as a community,” Hensler said. “We are looking forward to the things we normally do as a chamber and getting back to that routine. And then finding ways that we can continue to support the community and our members.”

When Hensler isn’t working or volunteering in the community, she spends her time with family, walking The Thread and playing tennis.

“I have a lot of favorite different places in LaGrange,” Hensler said. “We have so much to offer. The lake is fabulous, we have great restaurants and we just have a lot of things to explore.”

As president, Hensler will guide the chamber in finding new strategies for its members, developing plans and programs to help the chamber move forward, being a point of contact for chamber members and more.