Andrea Helart has been named President and CEO of the Lake Havasu Area Chamber of Commerce by its governing Board of Directors. Helart’s Chamber of Commerce journey will begin Aug. 1.

Helart is currently the Communications and Outreach Director for the Lake Havasu Unified School District, where she was also principal of Jamaica Elementary for several years after an extensive career of teaching. Helart owns her own business, Ulu Consulting, and recently won the HavaStartup Competition.

Helart will take over the position from Lisa Krueger, who is retiring at the end of August after a 27-year  career as a professional Chamber executive. The two will work together through the transition during the month of August.

“I am extremely excited to be stepping into this important role for our community,” Helart said.

“As a person who started my career in education being supported by Chamber programs like Leadership Lake Havasu, I have always been invested in supporting our Chamber. It is what helped drive me as an educational professional to see the impact we can have when we support leaders within our community to grow,” she said.

Helart was chosen after a selection committee consisting of Chamber Executive Committee members, excluding the current chairperson, Helart’s husband Jason, recused himself from the process once Helart expressed an interest in the position. The selection committee considered several applicants – local and from out of state before making the decision to hire Helart.

“We were very impressed with Andrea’s qualifications and skill set,” said Steve Clark, who is the Chamber’s Vice-Chair elect and spokesperson on behalf of the Board for the hiring process. “Andrea is a local, a Lake Havasu High School graduate, and someone with 20 years of Chamber volunteer experience. She is professional, authentic, and has been an advocate for the community throughout her career. We can’t wait to collaborate with her as we move the Chamber forward.”

“I have grown up in this community and I am dedicated to seeing it thrive. This is why, as I finish my career in education and start another chapter in my leadership journey, it is so important for me to continue to give back in a way that can help Lake Havasu to continue to flourish for our growing generations,” Helart said.

Helart and her husband Jason have two young sons, Myles and Liam.

For more information regarding the Chamber, please call 928-855-4115 or visit havasuchamber.com