Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce Names Successor to Outgoing President

The first woman to lead the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is retiring.

Sue Parr, President and CEO of the House, will advise the House while also helping her successor, Executive Vice President Angie Cox, transition into her new role, which begins in mid-August.

A community’s Chamber of Commerce is a group that represents its affiliated entrepreneurs and promotes and encourages the business interests of its members as part of local growth.

Parr has led the Augusta Chamber of Commerce since 2005 and has helped build the organization into “a thought leader on how business can drive its own future growth by shaping the forces that create a strong economy,” the Chamber of Commerce said in a July 23 statement.

Parr is an avid golfer and came to Augusta from Lansing, Michigan, where she was senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Parr’s local accomplishments include the introduction of new programs such as Students2Work and Talent2Work, online portals that help Augusta-area adults and high school students connect with employers who can fill job openings or provide training to help them obtain those jobs.

Talent show: Job seekers and employers can find each other on the new website of the Chamber of Commerce

Georgia’s annual Red Carpet Tour draws potential commercial and industry partners to the state. Augusta and the Masters Tournament are typically the last stop on the tour, and under Parr, the tour has become a major component of Masters Week.

Other initiatives that have grown and thrived under Parr include compiling the Chamber’s annual list of Top 10 Young Professionals to Watch since 2010. She also expanded Augusta Day, an annual meeting between local leaders and state legislators, to Greater Augusta Day in 2012 to better represent the economic region.

The chamber’s executive committee voted unanimously to promote Cox and “worked with Sue and her transition into retirement to ensure that her hard work over many decades is honored, but also provides a solid foundation for the many new and exciting times to come under Angie’s leadership,” said Board Chairman Dennis Trotter.

Cox came to Augusta in 2021 after serving more than six years as executive director of the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber of Commerce.

Augusta Chamber of Commerce leaders are grateful to Cox for the organization’s “largest revenue and membership growth to date, as well as doubling member participation in event programs in recent years,” the Chamber of Commerce statement said.