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.

 

Sarah Ferrari – Program & Events Coordinator

 Sara Ferrari, a native of Bedford, comes to the Chamber from the Omni Bedford Springs Resort where she most recently served as the catering sales manager.

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. Ferrari said the Chamber is a good fit because it encompasses all of her past lives.

Sarah coordinates most of the Chamber’s signature events, including the Annual Dinner & Awards Celebration, Hall of Fame Luncheon, Women in Business Programs, Golf Tournaments, and Foundation fundraisers, and she is always dreaming up new events. She also serves as staff liaison to Youth Leadership Bedford County.

She resides in Bedford Borough with her children, Alex and Layla and their rescue dogs, Trip and Jet who can often be found “working” at the Russell House.

You can reach Sarah Ferrari by calling 814-6234-2233 or via email: sarah@bedfordcountychamber.org.

 

Gwen Querry – Education & Workforce Coordinator

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.

 

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.

 

MEMBERS, SPONSORS, VOLUNTEERS, COMMITTEES…. YOU are part of our team as well!