Candance Castlen Brake, president and CEO of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce, announced Wednesday that she will be stepping down from the role later this year.
Brake, who has led the Chamber since March 2015, said she and her husband, Nick, will soon be relocating to be closer to their adult children. She will remain in her role until a successor is chosen.
“One of the most important aspects of leadership is recognizing when it is time to move on and make way for others with fresh perspectives to step forward,” Brake said. “My extensive work with younger people — including past and current staff members — leaves me confident that our community has many aspiring leaders who can take the helm and move our Chamber to the next level.
“Our board of directors is comprised of doers — people who make great things happen. They will be a great support to the next leader of this organization.”
The Chamber has nearly 1,000 members, with around 85% of those being small businesses.
“From day one, it has been about our small businesses,” Brake said. “Chambers were formed in our country before the Declaration of Independence was written by business people who believed joining together gave them a stronger voice and was good for business growth. Our staff understands the deep importance of this history and how the work truly matters. We are stewards for a short time, so we want to be sure to give it all we have.
“Small business owners put everything they have — their financial resources, health, time … their lives — into their business. We come to work every day with this in mind. We want to work as hard as they do to deserve their support. Small businesses truly make communities strong, interesting and unique. They give us our character and promote our quality of life. And they put food on the table of their employees. Working for them has been an honor I will never forget.”
The Chamber’s membership also includes large corporations, nonprofits, financial institutions, public sector organizations and healthcare.
“Our membership represents every sector in our community,” Brake said. “It truly is a tapestry of so many different walks of life coming together to make Owensboro stronger and better.”
During Brake’s tenure, the Chamber has yielded positive results through its legislative and governmental affairs work, with highlights including the 165 Interstate shields on the former Natcher Parkway, Highway 54 widening, advance work on the Interstate corridor with Indiana, two Family Court judges, lighting the bridge, county-wide broadband and lowering the state income tax.
Brake also led the Chamber to have a greater presence in Frankfort and in Washington, D.C.
“Speaking with one voice is incredibly important in getting things accomplished,” she said. “The Chamber’s role as a convener for community priorities has been very effective, and I hope that continues in the future.”
Under the direction of the Chamber Board of Directors since 2015, Brake focused significantly on creating and reinvigorating leadership and talent programs. Leadership Owensboro, Chamber Young Professionals and Educators in the Workplace were reignited, and the Greater Owensboro Leadership Institute was created in 2022; Leadership Owensboro Alumni and Engage Owensboro have been created to connect people with opportunities to volunteer and serve, and another program for executive level professionals is set to launch later this year.
“Talent development and retention efforts make a deep impact on communities our size,” Brake said. “They create environments for small business growth and entrepreneurship. They assist corporate partners in recruiting and retaining professional jobs, and they improve the overall quality of life.”
Brake worked at the Chamber in her first job out of college in 1993; returned in 2000 to lead education and workforce programs and then served as executive vice-president of the Chamber and Economic Development Corporation. Brake served three terms as an Owensboro city commissioner, where she played an integral role in the transformative downtown project and was deputy county judge-executive, where she was chief of staff for the Daviess County Fiscal Court.
“I always came back to the Chamber,” she said. “There is no other work like this.”
Chamber Board Chair Olga McKissic said Brake was an inspiration for her getting involved with the Chamber.
“Upon returning to Owensboro in 2015, I intended to live a simple life — substitute teaching and doing community service. Little did I know that meeting Candance Brake would elevate that service to new heights. What began as tending my church’s landscape and walking the halls of the Daviess County Judicial Center to pray with others evolved into becoming a board member — and eventually board chair — of the Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce.
“Candance brings out the best in others, and I will truly miss her beautiful smile, laughter and uplifting words of encouragement. Wishing her all the best in this next chapter — Godspeed.”
By Scott Hagerman Messenger-Inquirer