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The Chambers County Development Authority announced that Ansley Emfinger is joining the organization as its new project manager, effective Aug. 15.

“I am looking forward to working with, what I consider, one of the best organizations in the state,” Emfinger said in a press release. “I am elated to have the opportunity to help make my community a great place to live and work by rejoining the Chambers County Development Authority team.”

Emfinger comes to the CCDA with a wealth of knowledge in both economic development and Chambers County. She has spent the past year as part of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority team.

She was a 2016 graduate of Valley High School and a Summa Cum Laude graduate of The University of Alabama. She has held intern positions at the Chambers County Development Authority and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She was selected to participate in the prestigious Economic Development Association of Alabama Internship Program, where she worked for Alabama Power in their economic and community development department. She is also a graduate of Auburn University’s intensive Government and Economic Development Institute.

Having a former intern return home is an especially rewarding moment for CCDA Executive Director Valerie Gray.

“We created the intern program almost 10 years ago with the goal of introducing local high school students to the business world,” Gray said. “The program’s core is identifying our local talent and preparing them for the career of their choice, while also opening opportunities for them in economic development. Most importantly, the goal is retaining that talent to come home and make a difference in our county. Ansley comes to us not just with a wealth of inside knowledge of Chambers County, but also brings to us a skill set that includes workforce development, data and demographics analysis, and working in a team environment related to main street development. I can’t begin to express how excited I am to have her back in Chambers County and a part of our team.”   

In her role as project manager, Emfinger will take on a number of responsibilities including product development, new and existing business opportunities, recruitment, retention, community and downtown development, workforce development, data analysis and planning, organizing, monitoring, managing and evaluating economic development activities for Chambers County.