A long-time fixture at the Chillicothe Gazette and other Gannett news outlets is pursing a new position in the community.
The Board of Directors of the Chillicothe Ross Chamber of Commerce has announced the appointment of Michael Throne, as the organization’s new president and CEO.
Throne, 50, will succeed Randy Davies, who announced his retirement in August after five years as the Chamber’s top executive. Throne will begin working with Davies for a transitional period beginning Dec. 3 and assume the role of president and CEO on Jan. 2, 2019.
Throne will take over at the Chamber after working for 21 years with Gannett's newspapers in Chillicothe and Lancaster where he led two award-winning staffs to more than 85 awards for editorial excellence in the past four years. He’s served as editor for the past 20 years in Chillicothe and held the same role in Lancaster for the past two years.
“I’m humbled and honored to be selected as the Chamber’s new leader,” Throne said. “The Chamber is such a vital part of Chillicothe and Ross County and has served as an advocacy leader in our community on critical issues to help move Chillicothe forward. I look forward to joining the Chamber's staff, Bobbi Kellough and Briana Hood, to help the area grow and thrive. I'm excited to help our member businesses succeed and to advocate on their behalf to strengthen them."
Throne’s connection to the Chamber goes back to his early days in Ohio's First Capital when he was a member of one of the first Chamber leadership programs. He also previously served on the Chamber's Board of Directors. He is an active part of the Chillicothe community, serving on the Greater Chillicothe Ross Committee and has previous work on the boards of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of South Central Ohio and the YMCA of Ross County.
A graduate of Bowling Green State University, Throne lives in downtown Chillicothe with his wife, Kelsey, and five children.
We spoke with Michael about taking on this new role and he shared his thoughts on why he decided to pursue this new path and what it means to leave journalism and all the staff and co-workers in news reporting behind. You can listen to the full interview below.