WILKES-BARRE, PA: The Greater Wilkes Barre Chamber of Business & Industry (CBI) and Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce (COC) Board of Directors announced today that Wico van Genderen, President & CEO, will retire at the end of the year and that Lindsay Griffin, EVP & COO, will succeed him January 1, 2022.

“Under his leadership, Wico has transformed the Chamber by building upon a mission of economic impact, social diversity, and community value to the region,” said CBI Board Chair, Scott Lynett. “Along with the Chamber team and regional coalition he led, he has helped attract and retain businesses, created an entrepreneurial ecosystem with the colleges and businesses and helped retain and attract jobs to the Valley. His work at the Chamber has made it an economic center of excellence for the region and I believe his legacy will continue on seamlessly as the Board also announces that we will elevate Lindsay Griffin to take the mantle as our incoming President & CEO on January 1, 2022. On behalf of the Board, we thank Wico for his transformational leadership and vision, and wish him well in his retirement with the knowledge that the legacy he has created will continue with Lindsay.”

Wico joined the Chamber in 2014, when the Chamber conducted a nationwide search to bring in a leader to transform the Chamber and help revitalize the Valley. He brought in 30 years of corporate experience leading global marketing and product management and North American and Asia Pacific operations for Diebold, IBM and Interbold. During his tenure at the Chamber, Wico led the effort to revitalize and rebrand the Chamber, focusing on operational, financial, and organizational excellence with a focus on retention and attraction of businesses, workforce, and economic impact.

“After a 30 year career in corporate America, I wanted to leverage my experiences to give back to a community and found a great welcoming in the Wyoming Valley, a place my wife’s family called home,” said Wico van Genderen, Chamber President & CEO. “The mission of any CEO is to not only leave an organization better than when begun, but to have built a leadership and stakeholder team alongside it that can drive it, make it sustainable, and build it even better. I’ll truly miss the job, but I feel honored
and humbled to have served a great community and could not be more proud of Lindsay and the Chamber team and their ability to take the Chamber, our businesses, and our community to a whole new level. I truly look forward to watching a re-imagined Wyoming Valley unfold with pride in my retirement!”

Lindsay Griffin joined the Chamber in 2015 and has moved up in the Chamber in leadership roles leading to her current leadership position as EVP & COO. She has been instrumental in the Chamber re-brand and focused on building its Young Professionals, Women’s Network, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Councils and in the regionalization of its economic development and business advocacy initiatives. Moving into the President & CEO role, Lindsay will be the first woman and young professional in the organization’s history to lead the Chamber.
“I am honored to be selected by the Board to replace Wico in January upon his retirement,” said Lindsay Griffin, Chamber EVP & COO. “It is with great gratitude, passion, and commitment that I step into this role of leadership in our community. It truly is an incredible opportunity to take this position at an organization with such a strong legacy dating back to 1884 when the Chamber was formed. Over the past few years under Wico’s leadership, we have revitalized the Chamber and leveraged the unique qualities of the Wyoming Valley, while building an outstanding team to continue the growth and innovation needed for the future of our area. I am impassioned each and every day by our mission and the businesses, students, entrepreneurs, non-profits, and community members that I have the great privilege of working alongside. I am excited to build upon our strong foundation and economic excellence to drive to an even brighter and re-imagined Chamber and Valley in the future!”


Lindsay Griffin, EVP & COO


Wico van Genderen, President & CEO