On December 1, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce announced that Kerry Hall will serve as interim president and CEO beginning on January 3, 2023. She is taking over for Laura Huffman, who is leaving the organization on December 31, 2022. Hall has more than 35 years of experience in banking in Austin and recently joined the board of Arlington-based Susser Bank. She has also been involved in economic development throughout her career.
“I am honored and thrilled to lead the Austin Chamber of Commerce while a permanent CEO is identified and onboarded,” Hall says. “I have been a resident of Austin since graduating from the University of Texas, and I am excited to be in the position to give back to a region and business community that has been so good to me and my family. This is among the most coveted chamber roles in the U.S. today, so I look forward to assisting in the selection of new leadership from what I expect to be an impressive list of candidates. My entire career in banking was focused on serving the business community, and I see this role as interim chamber CEO as a natural extension of that career of service. I look forward to assisting the chamber’s amazing staff in sustaining Austin as the best place to do business in the country.”
Hall previously served as executive managing director of Texas Capital Bank Regional Banking, overseeing the Austin, Fort Worth and San Antonio markets. Her responsibilities included executing effective strategies within each of those markets and serving as the liaison between regional offices and the bank’s major lines of business. Hall’s creation of new business verticals, such as fintech banking, helped meet the emerging demand to capitalize on Texas’ flourishing tech industry.
Hall serves on the board of Opportunity Austin, a regional economic development initiative. She previously served as chair of the organization, as well as on the board of the Austin Chamber of Commerce (2015–20). She has served as the chair of the Austin chapter of the American Heart Association and on Caritas and Visit Austin boards. In 2005, Governor Rick Perry appointed her to Texas One, the Texas Economic Development Corp. board, on which she served until 2011. Hall also served on the advisory board of Big Brothers Big Sisters and E3 Alliance. Hall graduated from the University of Texas with a BBA degree in finance.
“Kerry has had a decades-long career building business relationships, and her expertise will help us in our work to continue making Central Texas the most prosperous area in the country,” says Fred Heldenfels, chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
“Kerry is enthusiastic about leading the Austin Chamber and helping build on the success we have been experiencing,” says Ali Khataw, chair-elect of the Austin Chamber of Commerce board. “We are fortunate to have passionate and dynamic leaders like Kerry fully invested in Central Texas’ success. She will bring together her passion for economic development and Central Texas to help us reach new heights.”
A national search for a permanent president and CEO for the Austin Chamber is forthcoming.
