Dale Steenbergen will take over as president and CEO of the Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Dec. 1, the organization announced.
Steenbergen has led the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce in Wyoming since 2007. He also serves as president and CEO of the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce, which he helped launch in 2023, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
As we reported Oct. 23, the Chamber's board selected Steenbergen after a national search led by a committee of board members and an executive search firm, according to a Chamber news release published Oct. 22.
Jeff Weiford, chair of the CEO search committee, said in the release that the board considered strong candidates, including internal leadership. He called Steenbergen's years running a chamber and his advocacy experience "distinguishing factors in our decision."
The hire ends a leadership transition that began after the Chamber's previous CEO departed. Brecken Morel, the Chamber's chief strategy and operations officer, stepped in as interim president and CEO during the search. The Chamber said the organization saw membership growth and strong financial performance under Morel's leadership. She will return to her chief strategy and operations officer role when Steenbergen arrives.
Board Chair Gabe Schlickau praised Morel's work during the transition, saying in the release that she "helped move the Chamber forward."
Steenbergen is originally from Woodward, Oklahoma, and told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle that the Wichita role represents a career step up. He called Wichita one of the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the nation.
"It's kind of the next step in my career to run a chamber of that width and breadth and scope," Steenbergen told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.
In Cheyenne, Steenbergen built a record in military advocacy and economic development. He helped position F.E. Warren Air Force Base for the U.S. Air Force's Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) modernization program, a multibillion-dollar national defense initiative, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Under his leadership, the Cheyenne chamber earned the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Five-Star Accreditation, its highest recognition for organizational excellence.
Steenbergen received the Wyoming Chamber of Commerce’s Chamber Director of the Year Award in 2018. He also holds the Institute for Organization Management designation.
The Wichita Regional Chamber said Steenbergen will lead advocacy for policies that strengthen the regional business climate and support economic opportunity. His first day is Tuesday, Dec. 1.
