PARIS – The Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce has appointed a new executive director.

Kelsey E. Jewell, 23, of Paris has accepted the top position for the 400-member chamber that serves 11 towns. She begins her new duties May 8.

“We’re very excited to have her on board,” said Kathryn Kelly, chairwoman of the search committee.

Jewell, too, is excited to be on board, she said Tuesday.

“The position sort of serendipitously fell into my lap,” said Jewell, a recent college grad. “I feel very fortunate to be able to work in the area that I love, doing some good for some people who really deserve it, small business people who work very hard, and the community of people around them who enjoy shopping locally.”

Jewell said her focus and goal is to work for the chamber membership.

“I’m really looking forward to a collaborative approach working with local area business owners who have a certain set of needs and need a voice in advocating for those needs,” Jewell said. “I’m realistic about the challenges, but I have a lot of experience being a collaborative leader.”

Kelly said 17 applications were received for the post over the past month, and six candidates were interviewed by the search committee. The committee then whittled down the list to three who were interviewed by the board.

Jewell was offered the job last Friday and accepted the next day.

Kelly said Jewell comes to the chamber with high qualifications. Jewell, an Oxford Hills native, holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Southern Maine and is director of Parks and Recreation in Paris. Prior to that, she held the position of deputy director/programming director of the international Seeds of Peace camp in Otisfield overseeing four programs in Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Palestine.

“She knows the area intimately. We’re very excited to have her,” Kelly said.

She said the top three contenders, all from the local area, had very similar qualifications including leadership, being able to “think outside of the box,” honesty, accountability and the ability to accept responsibility.

“More than anything she has an eagerness and excitement of what she thinks she can bring (to the organization,)” Kelly said.

Her first assignment will be to attend the annual conference of chamber directors.

Chamber President Shannon England said there were many excellent candidates reviewed during the process.

“We are so fortunate to have such a rich pool of talent in the Oxford Hills,” England said. She said Jewell’s understanding of U.S. policy and laws has allowed her to advocate and be successful in the most adverse situations inside and outside the United States.

England said the chamber has been getting input from its members and attempted to address those concerns in the hiring process.

“During the search process, it was our goal to ensure that our members’ concerns would be addressed with the decision-making process of the new executive director,” England said. “Our members told us that they would really like to see someone take on the role that had direct ties to our beautiful community and could be an advocate on important legislative issues. Our board was happy to select a candidate that fulfills both of these requests and promises to be a dynamic and member-focused leader.”

Along with the new executive director and marketing and events director Lisa Dunham, the chamber has added an office assistant. Dolores Hill will join the staff on April 30. Hill will be responsible for visitor/member information, reception area, coordinating event reservations and managing Web site updates.

Regional Editor Scott Thistle contributed to this report.