Brooklyn's Progress
April/May 2007

BY KHADIJA BATUTA

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Melissa Chapman, Bernice Perez and Kameka Green have joined the organization.

Membership Services
Melissa Chapman joined the Chamber on Dec. 11 as administrative assistant for the marketing & membership department. In this role, Melissa handles various support tasks including assisting at Chamber events, sending new Members their Welcome Kits, assisting with maintaining the database, invoicing and other duties. Besides Melissa, the growing marketing & membership department also includes Rosalie Rance, vice president; Tara Levin, director; Nancy Tibana, manager of Member information; and Yuk Ling Lo, who was recently promoted to manager, marketing & promotions. With Chamber membership increasing a record seven percent last year to 1,400 Members, improved and augmented services are underway.

“I’m really excited about joining the Brooklyn Chamber. It’s a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the new development taking place throughout this borough I now call home,” said Melissa. “I look forward to using my skills and work experience to maintain strong relationships with Members.”

Several Members already have met or spoken with Melissa. She interned with the Chamber last summer assisting the real estate & development department with Building Brooklyn Awards, as well as supporting Special Events Director Maggie Beaute-Lucien. Before joining the Chamber, Melissa was living in her hometown of Georgetown, Guyana, where she earned a diploma in public communications from the University of Guyana and worked in various positions, including as a legal administrative assistant and a staff reporter.

Melissa also will be putting her writing and reporting skills to use when interviewing Members for Brooklyn’s Progress. Melissa can be reached at 718-875-1000 ext. 126, or at mchapman@brooklynchamber.com.

Export/Import Assistance
Bernice Perez is the administrative assistant for Brooklyn Goes Global (BGG), the Chamber’s edumarketing export/import assistance program for Brooklyn-based manufacturers headed up by Director Steve Kaplansky. BGG is expanding its services in 2007. In addition to continuing its targeted services to Brooklyn food and beverage manufacturers and distributors, the program also will assist companies across various manufacturing sectors.

Bernice, who joined the Chamber on Jan. 8, jumped right in and assisted Steve at the Northeast Buyers Mission on Jan. 10, and is now helping to prepare for the first Brooklyn Goes Global International Trade Day & Symposium on May 21. The event is being produced in cooperation with Touro College – Graduate School of Business and will be held at the school’s Flatbush campus, 1602 Avenue J.

“I am enjoying speaking with our food manufacturing clients about our upcoming BGG events, and learning about the services of the Brooklyn Goes Global program,” said Bernice.

A born and bred Brooklynite, Bernice previously worked with The Corcoran Group in Brooklyn Heights. Bernice may be reached at 718-875-1000 ext. 104, or at bperez@brooklynchamber.com

Workforce & Training
Kameka Green came on board on Feb. 27 as a workforce development specialist for Good Help, the Chamber’s free staffing and employment program. She will be working with Director Mike Rosenthal and Specialist Tondalaya London assisting businesses find qualified employees.

A graduate of St. Francis College where she earned her B.A. in Psychology, Kameka previously worked with YAI and PSCH, both social services organizations that specialize in serving the developmentally and physically disabled populations.

“I look forward to working with my colleagues at Good Help to support the staffing needs of our Chamber Members and the Brooklyn business community,” said Kameka. The Chamber’s Good Help team is co-located downtown with Workforce 1 at 9 Bond St.

Kameka may be reached at 718-246-5219 ext. 2022, or at kgreen@brooklynchamber.com.