Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Announces Executive Director Transition

10/8/2026

Amherst Area Chamber Announces Executive Director Transition

A Personal Message from Jacob Robinson

Amherst, MA —

Dear Chamber Members and Friends,

Since becoming Executive Director in April 2024, I have had the opportunity to connect people and ideas across businesses, institutions, municipalities, and the wider community. I have seen introductions become partnerships and conversations lead to action.

On October 16, I will step down as Executive Director to join the Community Development team at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Leaving the Chamber is bittersweet, but this new role will allow me to continue serving the region from a different place within the same landscape.

Board President Kishore Parmar and the executive committee will lead the search for the Chamber’s next Executive Director and share updates as the process moves forward. Until my final day, I will work with the board and staff to support a smooth transition and maintain momentum around the Chamber’s current priorities.

For 70 years, the Chamber has helped strengthen the Amherst area by bringing people together. Like any healthy ecosystem, a local economy depends on connections: people exchanging ideas, solving problems, sharing resources, and working toward a common purpose.

At our recent Community Breakfast, UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes spoke about the region’s momentum through innovation, investment, and engagement. That momentum grows when institutions work across boundaries and align their strengths with community needs. Creating space for that collaboration remains one of the Chamber’s most important roles.

At the ribbon cutting for the Emily Dickinson Museum’s reconstructed Carriage House, I recited Dickinson’s line, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers.” Hope is central to community building, but it is not passive. It means tending relationships, making room for new ideas, and believing that what we plant together can grow beyond us.

That work continues through Coffee Connects, the Legislative Breakfast, our upcoming Lunch & Learn, the A+ Awards, Gift Card Match Day, and the Lighting of the Merry Maple. Each offers a way to learn, advocate, celebrate, invest locally, and stay connected in the coming months.

Thank you to our members, Chamber Champions, board members, volunteers, and partners for your trust and collaboration. I am especially grateful to Polina Potochevska for the creativity and care she brings to the Chamber’s work.

My final day will include ribbon cuttings for Salt Flower and Tilted Orbit Arcade in the Mill District. Celebrating two new businesses putting down roots is a fitting way to close this chapter.

I may be leaving this role, but I am not leaving this community. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your Executive Director. I look forward to staying connected and continuing our shared work in a new capacity.

With gratitude,

Jacob Robinson

Executive Director