Kellie Goodman Shaffer – President/CEO

Kellie Goodman Shaffer, President/CEO of the Chamber, manages and coordinates all organizational activities and resources of the Chamber and identifies and meets all appropriate member and county service needs consistent with the organization’s mission. She also serves as the Executive Director of the 501-(c)(3) Bedford County Chamber (Education) Foundation.

Kellie was named to the chief executive post of the Chamber in February of 2010. Prior to that, she served as the Marketing Director of the Allegheny Mountains Convention & Visitors Bureau/Game Director of the PSFCA East West All-Star Game and Manager of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA.)

Kellie also spent more than 20 years as a broadcast journalist in the Johnstown-Altoona-State College television market, most notably leading the award-winning sports department for WTAJ-TV (CBS) from 1998-2008 and host/writer of the Emmy-Award Winning Penn State Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Shows for WPSU.  She was the first woman to hold the post of Sports Director at a Pennsylvania television station.   A multi-media professionals, she also wrote a sports column for the Altoona Mirror for more than ten years, and has served as play-by-play announcer for women’s college (Big Ten) and high school basketball games on both television and radio, including the PIAA state championships.

In addition to serving on many local community boards and committees, including Bedford Sunrise Rotary, Kellie served the Chamber industry as 2020-2021 Chair of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals (PACP) and served on the organization’s board for 6 years.  Bedford has been the proud to host the PACP Fall Conference in 2011 and 2023.

Kellie is a graduate of Penn State University, where she captained the Lady Lion Varsity Softball Team.  She resides in Osterburg with her husband, Jeff, two chocolate labs and two cats.  You can reach Kellie by calling 814-623-22http://kellie@bedfordcountychamber.org.33 or via email: kellie@bedfordcountychamber.org.

Gwen Querry – Vice President of Membership & Education

Gwen Querry serves as the Chamber’s Membership Liaison and Workforce and Education Coordinator. In addition to recruiting and onboarding new members and servicing Chamber member needs, she also spearheads all of the career exploration and workforce development initiatives of the Chamber’s 501-c3 Education Foundation, including the Showcase & Career Fair, Community Reading Day, Steps to Success, Touch a Truck, 5th Grade Career Field Day, 7th Grade Agribusiness Career Fair, and others.  She also lends support to all Chamber & Foundation programs and events, and spearheads the organizations’ Holiday Silent Auction to benefit the foundation.

Gwen was employed by the Bedford Area School District as their EAP Supervisor and then as an Instructional Assistant before beginning her role as the Assistant Manager/Farmer’s Market Manager for Downtown Bedford Inc. From 2017-2020, she served as the Marketing and Business Development Manager at Bedford Candies and was part of the team that brought Rita’s Italian Ice to both the Bedford and Altoona locations. After serving as the Vice-President of Programming and Membership Education at the Blair County Chamber of Commerce for a year, Gwen knew it was time to come back to Bedford. Her new role at the Bedford Chamber combines Gwen’s passion for working with students of all ages with her desire to serve her community. Gwen and her husband Walt have two adult daughters, Jessica and Kaitlyn, and reside in Everett with their black lab, Ollie.

You can reach Gwen by calling 814-623-2233 or via email: gwen@bedfordcountychamber.org

Bob Octavio – Bookkeeper

Bob Octavio serves as the Chamber’s contracted bookkeeper, managing the finances of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce, Bedford County Chamber Foundation and Russell House Business & Education Center.

The Chamber is extremely fortunate to have the corporate expertise of Octavio, who retired from Cycling Sports Group in 2016.  In addition to his work with the Chamber/Foundation, he also serves in leadership positions of the Bedford County Airport Authority and the Bedford Elks Lodge.

You can reach Bob by calling 814-623-2233 or via email: bob@bedfordcountychamber.org.

 

Angie Ferguson – Welcome Desk

Angie Ferguson serves on the Chamber’s Welcome Desk, the first point of contact for Chamber communications, both in the office and over the phone.  Angie is a life-long resident of Bedford County and graduate of Bedford Area High School.  She worked in an administrative position at Hedstrom Corporation for 25 years until the closing of the plant in 2004.  She then served as part of Bedford County government, first in the Probation Department and later in Elections/Voter Registration, retiring from the county in 2023 and soon after joining the Chamber team.  Angie is an associate member of the Bedford Fire Department and in her spare time enjoys reading and visiting with friends.  Angie resides in Bedford and loves spending time with her family – son Andrew, his fiance and their two grandchildren.  You can reach Angie by calling 814-623-2233 or via email: welcome@bedfordcountychamber.org.

 

Sarah Ferrari – Coordinator, Signature Events

A former exchange student through the Rotary foreign exchange program, Sarah lived in Italy for five years where she studied Interior Design in Milan at the Scuola Politecnica di Design before returning to Bedford where she helped to open LIFeSTYLE, an Italian market and Trattoria in downtown Bedford.  She then spent four years with the Omni Bedford Springs Resort, working in catering and convention services, including as point-person for exquisite weddings and corporate events, including several significant Chamber functions. Sarah joined the Chamber staff in 2019.  After four years as Program and Events Coordinator as part of the Chamber team, Sarah has now launched her own interior design and event planning business,  Sarah Ferrari Designs.  The Chamber is delighted to continue working with Sarah, now as one of her first customers. She will coordinate some of the Chamber’s most significant signature events, including the highly-anticipated Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration, Women in Business Conferences, and exclusive Foundation fundraisers.  You can reach Sarah Ferrari via email: sarah@sarahferraridesigns.com

Dailey Chandler – Facilitator, Youth Leadership Bedford County

Dailey Chandler has been part of the leadership committee and facilitator for Youth Leadership Bedford County for more than a decade, guiding students from all of the county’s high schools through the ten-month course of leadership development and discovery of the world around them.

Dailey is a first responder with the Bedford Area Ambulance Service and also serves as the organization’s training coordinator. His prior experience includes serving as Youth Program Director for White Sulphur Springs/Officers Christian Fellowship.

Dailey and his family reside is Bedford.

 

 

 

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