Photo courtesy of the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce
New year, new Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce chairperson.
Last month, Dr. Chuck Kobdish announced that his two years as chairperson of the board were coming to an end. Previous Vice Chairperson I and realtor Rheanna Avila is taking up the reins.
“As my two years as chair come to a close, I want to share my sincere appreciation with each of you,” Kobdish said in an email to members. “Serving in this role has truly been an honor, and I’m grateful for the trust and support you’ve shown along the way. I have been part of the Chamber since 2008, and I can say with confidence that there has never been a better time to be involved than right now.”
He further emphasized that the chamber, led by Avila and CEO Megan Dennen, is positioned for success.
Avila, longtime East Dallas neighbor, joined the chamber in 2020 and has been a real estate agent for 15 years. Before that, she owned a business.
“I was looking for, in my own personal business, opportunities to meet with other like-minded individuals,” Avila said about joining the chamber. “I’m a firm believer that you can be a part of the problem or you can be part of the solution. Giving back to my community has always been important to me to come up with solutions, and so I got involved from the jump when I joined in 2020 on one of the committees and dove right in.”
Right away, Avila said someone picked up on her potential and recruited her to join the board. Then, she was eventually asked to be vice chairperson. Becoming chairperson wasn’t necessarily on her radar, but she feels like the role is a good fit because it allows her to help provide solutions and have an impact on people.
“I really enjoy coaching and mentoring. I’ve learned how to run a business, a profitable business, with systems and models and how to scale it, and I hope to bring some of that knowledge and expertise to the chamber as far as how we function internally and also to the membership at large,” she said.
Avila also praised Kobdish, saying he did a “phenomenal job” during his term.
