Cerritos Chamber Welcomes Scott Smith as New Executive Director

After a nearly five month long vacancy following the surprising resignation of longtime executive director Catherine Gaughen, the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce recently welcomed its new executive director Scott Smith.

Scott, an experienced public affairs professional who has been the “face” of several large corporations within the Southern California community, comes from a background that includes communications, as well as community, government and media relations.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to help tell the business story of the Cerritos area,” said Scott. “I look forward to getting to know the chamber members and the community.”

Over the past year, Scott has provided communications, branding, advocacy and fund development services to small business and nonprofit clients. He previously served as communications director at CalOptima -- Orange County’s public health plan serving over 400,000 members. In this role, Scott oversaw all internal and external communications including media relations. He also served as assistant director of public affairs at Kaiser Permanente in Orange County, where he worked on health care delivery policy and served in leadership positions within several non-profit organizations. During his time with Kaiser, he also worked closely with several localc hambers of commerce on public policy issues.

Scott spent the bulk of his career as a public affairs representative for State Farm Insurance Companies, where he handled public policy efforts, media relations and community involvement. During his tenure at State Farm, he served as the media point person during the San Diego wildfires in 2003. He also led community relations efforts for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, working to provide needed funding to our nation’s fire departments.

Led by a strong belief in giving back to the community, Scott volunteers as a board member for three Southern California non-profit organizations. He is currently serving as board chair for the Oak View Renewal Partnership in Huntington Beach and is a board member for both Centro Latino for Literacy in Los Angeles and Grace Community Counseling in Los Alamitos.

Scott graduated from California Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Advertising. During his last two years of college, he worked full time in the video game and sports marketing industries to help pay for his tuition. Scott is a native Californian and currently resides with his family in Seal Beach.