But Catherine Sutton, a 57-year-old Savannah native and certfied association professional, knows she'll begin no easy task Monday.

It's been nearly six months since Shane Adams, who led the chamber for seven years, left the post amid a Blacksburg investigation into possible embezzlement charges. No charges have been filed.

The probe led all three area municipalities -- Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Montgomery County -- to pull their funding of a regional tourism initiative.

Officials have said they would be interested in working with the chamber again when a new leader was chosen and the investigation was complete.

"One relationship at a time -- that's what it's going to take," said Sutton, who has spent the past eight months caring for aging parents in North Carolina.

"You rebuild that through the relationships you establish. You build credibility by doing the things you say you're going to do. It's not going to happen overnight."

In the spring, Sutton left a position as the chief executive officer of the Nevada Association of Realtors -- a post she held for five years. Before that, she worked with the Safety Council of Louisiana.

While Sutton lacks chamber experience, she said the post is something she is passionable about. She said she likes the geography of the area and having family nearby.

She said she looks forward to working with the nonprofit group on tax and government issues, community, economic development and tourism

"This area has huge potential," she said. "We need to find out how to best use and utilize this potential."

It's a position that suits her well, according to the man who replaced her in Reno, Nev.

"Catherine brought great leadership skills, vision and the ability to get along with all the key players in the real estate industry in Nevada," said Rob Wigton, who worked with Sutton on the board of directors before succeeding her, in an e-mail. "She was dynamic and forward-thinking. At the same time, her calm demeanor went a long way toward keeping things on an even keel while she was at the helm. Her personality should suit the chamber very well.

"She plays well with others ... and she is a good motivator. Her only weakness, if you can call it a weakness, is that she can be overly passionate about her work and duties ... which can lead to frustration (on her part) from time to time."

In addition to rebuilding trust with constituents, Sutton said she plans to grow membership, be a different face for the chamber and discover what she understands are the different needs of Blacksburg, Christiansburg and the county at large.

In fact, to keep from showing any favoritism to one community or another, she's renting a home in eastern Montgomery County.

Mike Soriano, the chairman of the chamber board and a Blacksburg business owner, did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Aradia Zenobia, acting president of the chamber, said the chamber's executive committee was working on a news release and would not issue a statement before that.

"While I don't know a great deal about the woman who has been hired, I am sure that our board feels she is the right person for the job," Zenobia said in an e-mail. "She has a great many challenges ahead of her and I look forward to seeing how the chamber moves into the future."