LINCOLN — A former state lawmaker from Gothenburg, Matt Williams, will lead the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry as interim president.

Chamber board chair Pat Keenan announced the transitional role Thursday to the board and business leaders.

Williams, a banker, is a longtime chamber board member and currently chairs Flatwater Bank. He previously chaired the Nebraska Bankers Association and the American Bankers Association. He served in the Nebraska Legislature from 2015-2023.

Leaders of the chamber — the largest statewide business lobbying group — said they would look for a permanent president and CEO following the resignation of Todd Bingham earlier this month.

Bingham, a Utah manufacturing expert, resigned less than a year after he was hired. The chamber offered no reason or public explanation. A spokesperson said the organization could not comment on a personnel issue.

Keenan said the board was grateful that Williams stepped up during a “very active and productive time.” 

With about six weeks left in the current 60-day legislative session, Williams already had started to speak on the chamber’s behalf, testifying, for example, at a Wednesday public hearing on a proposed business incentives package.

“He has steady leadership, strong relationships and trust from his many years of advocacy for economic development, and decades of experience working with the legislature and state government on tax policy and economic development incentives,” Keenan said of Williams, a member of the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame.

Williams, in a statement, sought to assure others that the chamber is on “rock-solid footing, with a clear vision of the board and talented and hard-working staff hitting its stride” in such areas as legislative policy and advocacy and manufacturing.

“I’m excited to lend my support,” he said.

This story was published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. Read the original article: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/former-nebraska-lawmaker-matt-williams-to-lead-statewide-business-chamber-during-transition/