"I'm excited about this new opportunity at Cisco Systems," he said. "I think it's a reaffirmation on the part of the company of their commitment to their corporate headquarter's town, San Jose, and the Silicon Valley region."

Cunneen returns to the corporate world after six years of working in the state assembly, representing parts of San Jose--including Almaden Valley--and the western portion of Santa Clara County, and four years as the head of the chamber. He counts his three key achievements at the Chamber of Commerce as bringing financial stability to the organization, increasing the group's membership and raising its visibility and advocacy efforts.

"It's been an honor and privilege to serve in the capacity of president and CEO," he said. "This is an organization with a venerable brand name and a real vibrancy and a freshness in the programming and events that we hold."

He will remain at the chamber until mid-July, but says he will feel right at home at Cisco.

"Interestingly enough, I live smack dab between a software Cisco engineer and a hardware engineer," he said. "Almaden Valley is strong with Cisco representation."

Bill Baron, the chairman of the chamber's board of directors, agrees that Cunneen has done a lot to advance the business group's profile. Together, he and Cunneen have gone before local, state and federal delegations to bring attention to particular issues, which was made easier by Cunneen's experience as a former assemblyman, Baron said. He also applauded the partnerships Cunneen has forged with outside organizations, such as ethnic chambers of commerce and educational institutions.

"Through his hard work and that of the board, the chamber is more sought-after than it was in the past, for endorsements and certain issues," Baron said. "We are looked at as a real leader."

Baron added that just as Cunneen has to move on personally and professionally, the chamber must evolve as well. The search to find his replacement has already begun, and the board wants the search committee to recommend a candidate by the time Cunneen leaves. Baron said the most likely successor would be a local person with knowledge of the area and political issues.

"By and large, we will look for a competent leader, someone that is effective in the political arena, somebody who will be a team player and interested in quality of life issues for residents of San Jose and the greater region," Baron said. "Our region has tremendous talent here."