Samantha St. John
Most Influential: 2022
425 Business Magazine asked their readers to nominate heroes in our community; one of those heroes is The Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce’s CEO Samantha St. James. Read the entire article at 425Business.com
Samantha St. John - CEO Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce
“I have the privilege of working for her [volunteer], promoting the #Kirkland business community through the Chamber – as they note in the article, ‘St. John continues her dedication to building the next generation of leaders while uplifting the members of her community.’ I could not agree more.”
When Samantha St. John walks into the room, business leaders in her community know that she has their back. As CEO of the Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, and in previous roles, too, St. John has been a pivotal leader for the Kirkland business community.
In April 2020, in the midst of the beginning of the pandemic, St. John helped create and implement what was believed to be the first small-business relief program of its kind in the country.
“We were giving out funds … small-business relief grants, to people who were impacted by the downturn in business, and this was before any of the shutdowns had happened,” St. John said. “We raised almost $500,000 and handed it out in the first couple months of the pandemic.” The initial seed funding for the project came from Google.
Following that success, St. John has been a staunch advocate of several public policy issues for the state, in particular ones that uplift the business community.
During her tenure, she also developed the Chamber Foundation, a nonprofit focused on youth education, disaster relief, and community funding. St. John hopes to expand opportunities for youth education at the foundation to help the youth become the next generation of leaders. She also aims to establish more affordable housing in the region and in her community.
From serving as the board president at Attain Housing to helping establish support for small businesses and all others in her jurisdiction, St. John continues her dedication to building the next generation of leaders while uplifting the members of her community. — Carlos Snellenberg-Fraser
