Paige Brown Strong has been the Executive Director of the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce since December, 2006. A native of Gallatin, she was previously employeed for 11 years by the NewsChannel 5 Network in Nashville, Tennessee.
A quick study, Ms. Strong graduated from Gallatin High School ane received a B.S. in Communications from Florida State University. After college, she worked as a news reporter and anchor in Florida. Upon her return to Tennessee, she worked for several shows on The Nashville Network in various capacities including reporter, producer, and talent for “American Magazine,:” “Top Card,” “Cookin’ USA,” “Nashville Now,” and “Be a Star.”
Ms. Strong is also a well-known advocate for pharmaceutical research and development. She served 6 years on the Board of Governors for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and is serving her second term as a Food & Drug Oncology Drug Advisory Committee (ODAC) Patient Representative. She has been featured in Glamour Magazine, on PBS and local news. She has addressed groups throughout the world and has lobbied for healthcare related legislation in Washington. In 2003, she visited President George Bush at the White House with Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong for the announcement of the increased funding for cancer research. Mostly recently she spoke at the Middle East and Africa Oncology Summit in Paris, France.
As the Chamber director, Ms. Strong is working to implement the new plans identified in the re-visioning process, which involve establishing value for members, creating new focuses, increasing Chamber involvement in the community and building stronger bridges between the Chamber, business owners, local leaders and other civic groups.
Since Ms. Strong became Director, the Gallatin Chamber has grown to nearly 600 members. Her passion and excitement have brought many new ideas to the business community and she has worked hard to establish a new direction for the Gallatin Chamber of Commerce.