Greater Northampton Chamber Welcomes Five New Board Members
NORTHAMPTON — The Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce (GNCC) welcomed five new board members at its first meeting of 2024. Together, they bring to the chamber diverse experience as entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and business managers.
“It’s a great privilege to work with this group of dedicated investors in the GNCC,” Executive Director Vince Jackson said. “They bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise with them to their new roles on our board, and I look forward to their continued engagement and contributions.”
The new board members are Jamie Cocco, Caroline Gear, Taylor Robbins, Elena Sharnoff, and Cigdem Turkomer.
Cocco owns Empowered Digital Marketing and Empowered Social Media. In addition to his role on the board, he serves on the GNCC’s executive committee and chairs the ambassador committee. He brings an extensive marketing background to the GNCC, along with strong interests in building community and business development.
Gear is the executive director of the International Language Institute of Massachusetts in Northampton. As executive director of a nonprofit organization, she brings to the chamber rich experience in working with a board, budgets, fundraising, and more.
Robbins is a business relationship manager at UMassFive College Federal Credit Union. With a focus on commercial lending and cash management, she uses her experience in the field to offer individualized advice for business owners.
Sharnoff owns B Strategic Communications and brings more than 25 years of experience in strategic communications and marketing, branding, and messaging to her role at the GNCC. She has served on che chamber’s ambassador committee for several years.
Turkomer grew up in Istanbul and has spent more than 25 years creating set designs for commercial and documentary films. After studying for several years at San Francisco State University, Cigdem moved back to Northampton to open LeBonNton, which supports women artists and business owners from the U.S. and around the world.
