Chamber staff members are dedicated to the mission of creating economic prosperity for everyone in our region. Get to know us better — we want to know you and your business better!

Left to right: Myrna Cruz, Controller; Hannah Myatt, Operations Manager; Scott Bowman, Director of Membership; Megan Morris, President & CEO; Mary Mitchell, Administrative Specialist

meet our team

Megan Morris

Megan Morris

President & CEO

Scott Bowman

Scott Bowman

Membership Director

Hannah Myatt

Hannah Myatt

Operations Manager

Interested in working for the Chamber?

We are currently looking for team members who have a passion for supporting the community and embody these core values: service, inclusion, collaboration and integrity. New positions may be full or part-time. Current skills needed include event planning, project management, program implementation, marketing and communications, and/or government affairs. If you are interested in exploring opportunities, please email Megan Morris, President & CEO.

Chamber Ambassadors

Ambassadors provide an essential service to the Chamber membership and team.

The Chamber Ambassadors are highly visible, prestigious volunteers who serve as the Chamber’s primary liaison to the new Chamber members.  Considered the goodwill arm of the Chamber, the Ambassador committee plays an essential role in member communication and retention, and each Ambassador is charged with conveying member needs, questions and concerns to Chamber staff, keeping our Chamber in line with our members’ desires. 

Ambassadors actively promote membership in the Chamber, facilitate networking among members and encourage meaningful participation and involvement in Chamber programs in order to enhance the membership benefits received by each member, strengthen member commitment and increase long-term member retention.  

Vincent Avantagiato

Vincent Avantagiato

Medi-Solutions

Vincent Avantagiato received a Doctor of Chiropractic degree and ran a Chiropractic office for over a decade. He then joined a financial company and became a Registered Representative with series 6 and 63 securities licenses.

Now Vince works with Medi-Solutions, a full-service agency that in addition to Medicare, also offers help with non-Medicare insurance needs encompassing such as life insurance, LTC, dental, vision, hearing and other financial needs such as IRA rollovers and retirement investing, like annuities.

Laura Chambers Babalis

Laura Chambers Babalis

Keller Williams Realty

Laura Chambers Babalis is deeply rooted in Beaufort as a seventh-generation local, channeling her passion for the area into her role as a real estate agent at Keller Williams Realty. With a fervent dedication to fostering community growth, she actively engages with others to strengthen connections and build a thriving environment. Serving as an ambassador for the chamber, Laura embraces the chance to network with fellow businesses, collaboratively seeking opportunities to bolster one another and enhance collective support within the community.

Mary Jane Boyle

Mary Jane Boyle

Heartland

Mary Jane is a native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and moved to beautiful Beaufort to enjoy the charm of a small town, much like the Eastern Shore…without the SNOW! Heartland is a software technology company delivering cost effective tools for businesses to manage their workforce through recruiting, applicant tracking, payroll, and HR. Mary Jane enjoys the chamber and learning about the future of Beaufort and the growth through commerce development. She enjoys meeting small to medium businesses that bring value to thrive in this beautiful town!
Ross Bradham

Ross Bradham

Hargray

I am a Field Operations Supervisor with Hargray, I have been with Hargray for 11 years and in the telecommunications industry for 19. I was born in Raleigh North Carolina and moved here when I was One. I’m married to Melanie and we’ve been married for 18 years now with 2 kids, both boys. This is the first time volunteering with any company but so far I’m enjoying what we are doing. I enjoy spending time with my family and going to car shows on the weekends.

Donna Bradley

Donna Bradley

303 Associates

Donna Bradley is a first-year Chamber Ambassador representing the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Beaufort Leadership Class of 2024 and wants to be a positive force in the community and help support the mission and growth of the Chamber and the local economy by engaging with leaders and businesses, at all levels. Donna is an eighth-generation Lowcountry girl and takes great pride in her family and the Lowcountry where she has grown up and raised four daughters, a son, three step children, and now 10 grandchildren. She has been in the accounting field for 40 years and will earn her business degree from Technical College of the Lowcountry in May. She is the Senior Finance Manager at 303 Associates where she has worked for the last five years. She enjoys spending time with her husband at home, her family, and friends enjoying all things about Lowcountry living.

Stacey Burrell

Stacey Burrell

Premier Nationwide Lending

Stacey Burrell is a mortgage loan officer with Premier Nationwide Lending. She has been in the banking industry for 30 years with a primary focus on mortgages for the last 7 years. Stacey finds that helping clients realize their dreams of homeownership is both rewarding and exciting. Stacey relocated to Beaufort from Upstate SC in the fall of 2021. She had fallen in love with Beaufort after first visiting in the late 90’s. The Lowcountry captured her heart and she knew that one day she wanted to call it home. Stacey is also participating in the Leadership Beaufort Class of 2023 and is thankful to have the opportunity to learn all that she can about this area, it’s businesses, people and community. In her spare time Stacey enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, gardening, reading and time on the water.

Jim Diffenderfer

Jim Diffenderfer

Accent Truss

Jim is the founder and president of Accent Truss. Accent Truss is celebrating 20 years in business providing design, engineering, and fabrication of heavy timber structures for residential and commercial projects across the country. Jim is originally from California and made the move to South Carolina over 20 years ago with a couple other stops along the way. Beaufort is home now and it’s very important to Jim to be a part of the community he lives in. Helping other small businesses succeed and growing our community responsibly are his primary motives for working with the Chamber. In his free time, you will find him out on the water with his fiancé, or at the golf course with friends. He is proud to call Beaufort home and looks forward to meeting more friends through the work with the Chamber and involvement in our community.

Zarah Goodyear

Zarah Goodyear

Kinghorn Insurance Agency of Beaufort

Zarah Goodyear is a Beaufort native and joined the Beaufort Regional Chamber Ambassador program in 2018. She works for Kinghorn Insurance of Beaufort as a Personal Lines and Life & Health Insurance Producer. As a native she enjoys going to the beach, fishing and paddle boarding. She is also very passionate about her community and enjoys giving back to it. As a businesswoman she appreciates the opportunity the Ambassador program gives her to network in the community and support the other local businesses in celebrating their achievements.

Ciara Grant

Ciara Grant

Weichert Realty

Ciara Grant is a real estate agent with Weichert Realtors Coastal Properties. She is also a native island girl of Saint Helena Island, the island renowned for its rural Lowcountry character and being a major center of African American Gullah culture. She has lived in the Lowcountry most of her life and is familiar with various Lowcountry dining, historical landmarks, beaches, and businesses that Beaufort County has to offer. She is a proud Beaufort Chamber Commerce Ambassador and Founding Member of the Lowcountry Women’s Council of Realtors. As a member of these organizations, she understands the importance of networking with various local businesses and staying informed about economic changes in the Lowcountry in order to better serve the Beaufort community and help expand economic growth.

Amber Hewitt

Amber Hewitt

Town of Port Royal

mber Hewitt settled in Beaufort in 2006 and holds roles as a wife, mother, and Nana. She finds fulfillment in helping others and capturing moments through her photography and thrives on connecting individuals with the basic living resources they need, shedding light on pressing issues like homelessness, domestic violence, and human trafficking. She’s actively involved in the Zonta Club of Beaufort, Lowcountry Human Trafficking Task Force, Toys for Tots and Holiday Heroes. Amber’s footprint extends to diverse projects and organizations, including Toys for Tots and Holiday Heroes, Chamber Ambassador,  Leadership Beaufort, Old Village Association of Port Royal, The Helianthus Project, Hopeful Horizon, CAPA’s Ghost Tours, Friends of Hunting Island, Salvation Army, Help of Beaufort. She is the Business License Administrator at Town of Port Royal.

AlLison Kindwall

AlLison Kindwall

Kinghorn Insurance Agency of Beaufort

Allison Kindwall is a Commercial Lines Insurance Agent for Kinghorn Insurance of Beaufort. She was born and raised in Beaufort and enjoys seeing the town grow and change with the help of the Chamber. Allison thinks the Chamber is very important for connecting local organization and grow relationships in Beaufort. She plans to volunteer with the Chamber as long as they will have her.
Melanie Ott

Melanie Ott

Landscape Workshop

Melanie’s roots run deep in the Beaufort community, and she can’t imagine calling anywhere else home. She attended Beaufort High School and the University of South Carolina. When not in the office, she spends time with her fiancé, Eric, and their sweet pups, Maddie & Grace. Melanie is an active member of Port Royal BNI. Melanie has been in the mortgage industry since 2020 and has experience in Conventional, VA, FHA, and USDA loans. She prides herself on great customer service and has a passion for helping first-time and military homebuyers. She believes in helping her clients understand all the nuances of what can be a confusing process in a fiercely competitive market. She takes the time to get to know her clients to help them decide the best course of action for their personal and financial goals.

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Elliot Park

Elliot Park

Merrill Lynch

Elliot Park is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch. He finds great fulfilment in helping his clients achieve their life goals as a trusted partner along the way. He is a native of South Carolina and has spent most of his time on the coast; growing up in Myrtle Beach, graduating from the College of Charleston, and now living in Beaufort. Elliot and his wife, Grace, were married at Beaufort Inn in the spring of 2022 and fell in love with the town. They relocated from Charlotte in the fall of 2023. As a new Chamber Ambassador, Elliot is excited to volunteer his time and attention to helping connect local businesses with the community they serve. He understands this is an integral part of growth and progress in our economy. Outside of work, he enjoys any time spent outdoors and on the water.

Joshua Ward

Joshua Ward

CharterOne Realty

Joshua Ward is a Realtor and Photographer in the Beaufort area. As a native of Beaufort, Josh enjoys being involved with the chamber and helping the local businesses in the area find success. He understands the importance the Chamber plays within a local community and looks forward to see how Beaufort progresses in the coming years!

Erin Witt

Erin Witt

C.T. Lowndes Insurance

Erin, a Beaufort native is the Account Executive for CT Lowndes & Co serving Beaufort and its surrounding areas. After graduating from Clemson she began her insurance career where she found a passion for building personal relationships with clients. Since 2020, Erin has been overseeing the CT Lowndes Insurance expansion into Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head. Involvement with the Chamber has been essential in making connections with the business community. In addition to serving as a Chamber Ambassador, Erin serves on the Board for The Junior Service League of Beaufort and volunteers with The Open Land Trust. In her free time you will find Erin with her family, traveling, and hosting get togethers.

Beth Woodring

Beth Woodring

Palmetto State Bank

Beth Woodring is a CSR at Palmetto State Bank. She and her husband have been in Beaufort for a total of 22 years, coming back to Beaufort after his retirement from USMC. Beth is active with Beaufort Water Festival and has been involved with the Chamber for several years. She loves Beaufort and believes that Beaufort has much to offer businesses in this area!

Ashton Viterbo

Ashton Viterbo

Beaufort Memorial Hospital

Ashton Viterbo is the Corporate Health Consultant for Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Originally from Snellville, Georgia she is now very excited to call Beaufort her home. With a background in Sports Medicine, she is extremely passionate about serving and helping others. This is done daily with her role in Occupational Health at BMH through the Well at Work program. She enjoys volunteering with the Chamber to utilize her passion of serving others, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with local businesses, and network in the community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors, especially days at the beach with her family. She is proud to be a part of the Beaufort community and the Chamber, she is looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the community!

Best Chamber in the Carolinas!

Best Chamber in the Carolinas!

The Carolinas Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE) recognized Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce as the 2022 Outstanding Chamber of the Year (for a chamber with under 700 members) at their Annual Management Conference awards ceremony.

The CACCE Outstanding Chamber of the Year Award recognizes significant achievements and accomplishments that a Chamber has initiated, stimulated, and/or led in its respective service area during the past 18 months. Award winners are selected based on a competitive application process judged by peer chamber leaders. More than 150 Chambers from across North and South Carolina were eligible to apply.