The leader of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce has won the highest award given by the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

Chamber CEO and President Pam Carnes, 42, of Hickory Flat was presented with the Executive of the Year Award during the association’s annual conference last week in Jekyll Island.

The association’s most prestigious award was created to recognize members who generously give their time and talents for the betterment of the organization, for assistance and support of colleagues and the advancement of the profession.

Tiffany Ott, executive director of the association, said the first step of the award process is peer nomination. A five-member judges panel reviews the information on those nominated and makes a decision.

“She has done excellent work for the organization, and I know she is well-regarded in the community,” she said.

Mrs. Carnes started with the Chamber in 1991. She held the positions of vice president of operations, interim president and membership director. She became president and CEO in 1996.

She is a graduate of the University of Georgia as well as the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organizational Management, Leadership Cherokee and the Regional Leadership Institute.  Mrs. Carnes said she was surprised by the honor.

She said the presentation was similar to the Cherokee Chamber’s own First Citizen award in that when the presenter begins reading off facts about the person, “everyone is looking around the room to see who it is.” As more information was read, “I was able to pick up that it was possibly me,” she said.

She said she hopes the award will bring recognition to the Cherokee business community. “Anytime you get some positive recognition, it directly correlates to the area in which you serve,” she said.

Mark Goddard of Cobb EMC, chairman of the Cherokee Chamber board, said the recognition was well deserved.

“It is a good place for businesses to come. It also shows that it is good for companies currently here as well,” he said about Mrs. Carnes’s award.

Buzz Ahrens, chairman of the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, said recognition for an entity like the chamber that has outreach into the community, is “outstanding” for the county. “You can’t buy that kind of recognition,” he said. “It is very well earned.”

Mrs. Carnes serves as vice-chairwoman of the Chattahoochee Technical College Board of Directors and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Foundation and Advisory Board for United Way of Cherokee County.

She and her husband, Brian, have two children. The attend Canton First United Methodist Church.

Dinah Rowe, president and CEO of the Chatsworth-Murray County Chamber, in her letter of recommendation for the award, said Mrs. Carnes “will offer her assistance at the slightest hint that someone needs help.”

“Exposure to Pam’s positive attitude, dedicated professionalism and wealth of experience is an invaluable resource to her colleagues.”