Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC president and CEO to step down Jan. 1

By Rich Laden November 22, 2024 | updated 1 year ago

Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer announced Friday she’s resigned as president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC effective Jan. 1. She cited a desire to care for her mother in Tennessee, who’s facing health issues.
GAZETTE FILE

Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC for nearly three years, announced Friday she will resign Jan. 1, citing the need to care for her mother, who lives in Tennessee and faces health issues.

“I have appreciated the past three years and all we have accomplished in job creation, support for our military, and advocacy for the businesses of southern Colorado,” Reeder Kleymeyer said in a news release. “I hope my legacy will be my passion for our community, willingness to fight the good fight and support and empowerment of my committed team members. I have every confidence that the board and staff will continue driving impactful work for our community.”

She could not be reached for additional comment.

Tim Seibert, a senior vice president with Norwood Development Group in Colorado Springs and the Chamber & EDC’s board chairman, told The Gazette that organization officials were aware of the health challenges faced by Reeder Kleymeyer’s mother.

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Though disappointed in her resignation, Chamber & EDC officials fully support her decision, he said.

“She’s a very committed person to what her task is at hand,” Seibert said. “For her, primarily right now, (it) was her family and her mother in particular. So we support her decision. We are disappointed in this decision, but at the same time, we 100% support her choice to make sure that she’s doing the best for herself and her family.”

Reeder Kleymeyer had more than 20 years of experience in economic development, corporate communications, higher education and government affairs in the Cincinnati and northern Kentucky areas when she became president and CEO of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC on Jan. 1, 2022. She replaced Dirk Draper, who headed the organization for more than six years.

Arguably the Pikes Peak region’s leading business organization, the Chamber & EDC works to attract employers to town, encourages existing ones to expand and seeks to create jobs — mainly so-called primary jobs that bring wealth and investment into the community. The group also assists smaller companies with concerns and issues and takes positions on public policy matters.

In a news release, Chamber & EDC officials called Reeder Kleymeyer “a true professional, visionary, and dynamic leader, leaving an indelible mark on Colorado Springs. Her steadfast commitment to excellence and innovative approach to leadership have driven transformative change across our region.”

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During her nearly three years as head of the organization, the Chamber & EDC announced 25 economic development projects in manufacturing, aerospace and defense and the cybersecurity and technology sectors, which brought commitments of more than 4,000 jobs and $1.7 billion in capital investment to the area, the organization said in its release.

Among those projects: construction of a $600 million “manufacturing center of excellence” in northwest Colorado Springs by Massachusetts-based Entegris, an electronic materials supplier for the semiconductor industry; and an $880 million expansion by Microchip Technology, an Arizona-based chipmaker with a production facility on the city’s south side.

Other Chamber & EDC initiatives over the last three years included the organization joining a bi-partisan effort to keep Space Command’s headquarters in Colorado Springs; the launch of a “deal closing fund” in partnership with the city to serve as a financial incentive to finalize deals to attract jobs; and advocacy of pro-business legislation and childcare, senior and workforce development bills, along with support of road funding programs such as the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority and a city sales tax extension for road improvements.

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“We have had tremendous success with our economic development activities and bringing significant projects to realization over the last three years and I think that is a testament to her focus and drive,” Seibert said. “That was one of our missions when we sought a new director, a new CEO for the Chamber & EDC after Dirk Draper. And she has fulfilled every task that we have thrown at her, and more.”

The Chamber & EDC will look to appoint an interim president and CEO, Seibert said. Afterward, the organization will form a search committee to find a replacement, he said.

When Reeder Kleymeyer was hired in 2021, the Chamber & EDC conducted a national search that produced 170 candidates, The Gazette previously reported.

Reeder Kleymeyer is the second high-profile business leader to step down in recent weeks. Susan Edmondson, the longtime president and CEO of the Downtown Partnership advocacy group, resigned in late October because of health reasons.