Paul Wright returns to lead Turlock Chamber of Commerce

Past Turlock Chamber of Commerce leader Paul Wright will serve as interim president and chief executive officer of the chamber following the retirement of Sharon Silva on Aug. 15.

Kyle Kirkes, chair of the chamber board of directors, announced the board’s choice. Wright will manage day-to-day operations while performing an internal analysis of the organization and assisting the search for a permanent replacement, Kirkes said in a statement.

Reached at his Stockton home Friday, Wright said he expects the search for a permanent leader to take four to six months.

“Anytime an organization goes through transition, there’s an opportunity to assess what’s working and what might improve,” said Wright, who spent his first day in the chamber office Monday. He said he will be in Turlock three days a week.

Wright takes the helm as the chamber is undergoing an independent fiscal audit into its operation of the Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau under a contract it held for many years. Years 2009-2014 are under scrutiny by an outside team.

“That audit should be completed shortly,” Wright said. “No one wanted to drag this out,” he said.

Wright grew up in Turlock, graduating from Turlock High in 1967. He led the Turlock chamber from 1977 through 1980. Wright also has served as president of the Santa Rosa chamber, board chairman of the Palo Alto chamber, director of the Redwood City-San Mateo chamber, and deputy director of the San Francisco chamber, Kirkes’ statement said.

“We are so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Paul Wright during this interim period,” Kirkes said. “Not only is he a Turlock native, but he also brings with him decades of business and chamber experience.”

His decades of business experience include 20 years as a consultant in Palo Alto, specializing in executive team alignment, strategic planning, leadership training, team building and executive coaching.

Wright was elected to the Belmont City Council in 1999 and served as mayor in 2003. He was recognized as the 1992 person of the year by the Redwood City Chamber of Commerce, and is a past chair of the California Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and past director of the California Chamber of Commerce.

He served on the board of regents for the Institute for Organization Management and represented Rotary International as a group study exchange team member to India.

Wright received his master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Chico, and completed a doctorate in human and organizational studies at George Washington University.

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Paul Wright returns to lead Turlock Chamber of Commerce."