Natasha Vaughn is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce this week will begin the process of hiring its new president and chief executive officer. Applications are being reviewed in advance of the interview process. “The search committee is meeting later this week to review the applications,” Chamber Board of Directors Chair Derick LaTorre said. “Then we’ll decide who we want to interview.” Chamber directors are looking for a successor to Jeffrey Hunt, the former president and CEO. Hunt and the chamber parted ways in November after the board of directors became aware of some financial irregularities; however, board members have not been specific about the nature of the alleged irregularities. The deadline for applications was March 10; in all, fewer than a dozen applications were receive. LaTorre said, "...it's really too early to say how many we received in terms of who is qualified and who isn’t. ...” The board search committee this week will review the materials submitted to determine if the applicants meet the qualifications outlined in the job description before setting up interviews with prospective candidates, LaTorre said. The chamber president directs activities of the organization to promote community awareness of business, the arts and governmental agencies and is responsible for the oversight and management of all aspects of chamber business and activities. The successful candidate will have a background in economic development and tourism, a bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or related field, plus at least five years of upper-management experience in personnel, community relations, sales, marketing, budgeting, operations or government operations. The board hopes to complete the hiring process by early April, at the latest. The majority of the applicants are local, LaTorre said. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.