Balfour resigns from chamber after a short time on the job
Departing director doesn't say why she's leaving post
Search begins for replacement
By Gloria I. Wang
Janice Balfour, executive director for the Town of Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, has quietly resigned after less than five months on the job.
Balfour declined to comment on her resignation, but interim Executive Director Shelley Huff said that Balfour's decision was not because she was unhappy at the Chamber. "This is a personal decision on her part," Huff said.
Balfour's last day was originally Aug. 17, but Huff asked her to extend her stay by one more week. Huff had just started working in the town on Aug. 14 and said that it was impossible to learn about the Chamber and the director's role in just four days. "Everything's in Janice's head," Huff said.
Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski heard about the resignation on Aug. 11. While he said that the move was "surprising," he also said that since the Chamber had functioned without an executive director for the two months before Balfour was hired, he expected minimal impact. "I feel really confident that we're really not going to have much of a slowdown," Pirzynski said. "I'm not anxious about it whatsoever."
As soon as Balfour announced her resignation, Pirzynski said, the Chamber's board of directors moved quickly to find a replacement. At the same time, Pirzynski said that the Chamber is extremely busy, and "it's always difficult to replace an executive position."
The town hired Balfour in March, after the previous director, Sheri Lewis, retired in January. Balfour came to the Chamber with experience in dealing with businesses, being a business owner herself, and various chambers of commerce.
"Janice seemed ideal because of what we needed. We needed someone who could understand business, who could understand the community," boardmember Diane McNutt said at the time of Balfour's hiring.
Huff was asked to be the temporary replacement because she knew one of the members of the board. A Fremont resident, Huff had worked as the marketing communications director for the Silicon Valley American Cancer Society. Six months ago, she left her job to work at a high-tech company and became a victim of the economic downturn.
Huff's family moved to Los Gatos in 1969, so Huff was familiar with the town. Los Gatos, she said, "has had a rebirth in the last decade."
With a two-hour commute, Huff is relieved that her job is only temporary. She says she is excited and at the same time overwhelmed, by the work.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
