The St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce has named Toni Boudreaux as the new director of its Ponte Vedra Beach Division.
In her new role, Boudreaux will oversee the membership, development and tourism activities for the division. She will begin her new role March 13, succeeding previous director Lin Jones, who relocated out of state.
We are thrilled that Toni is joining our team to lead the Ponte Vedra Beach Division and serve chamber members in the community,” said Isabelle Rodriguez, president and CEO of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce. “It is our good fortune to have found a candidate that has the prerequisite leadership and managerial skills along with strong ties to the Ponte Vedra Beach community. Furthermore, her experience in the cultural arts industry will be an asset as we continue to strengthen our programs for the Ponte Vedra Beach Visitors Center.”Boudreaux joins the chamber after eight years with the Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach, where she served as finance and membership manager before assuming the role of director of development in 2014. That experience, Boudreaux said, will be invaluable in her new role with the chamber of commerce.
“At the cultural center, I focused on growing our membership in a way that would be sustaining,” she said. “The ability to build relationships and bring in new donors is really so crucial to a local nonprofit. Without those strong community ties, an organization like (the cultural center) wouldn’t exist.”
As director of the chamber’s PVB Division, Boudreaux said she plans to continue to cultivate those types of relationships.
“It’s really all about creating a collaboration among local businesses in Ponte Vedra,” said Boudreaux, who previously served on the PVB Division board of directors. “I’m looking forward to continuing to build the Ponte Vedra ‘brand’ and being an advocate for all the wonderful things Ponte Vedra Beach has to offer.”
She also plans to draw on her extensive event management and fundraising experience to help strengthen the Ponte Vedra Beach Division. Among the local events she spearheaded at the cultural center was the popular annual Ponte Vedra Home & Art Tour.
Other top priorities, she said, include creating new sponsorship opportunities for local businesses, strengthening the PVB Division’s relationship with the JAX Chamber and increasing the visibility of the Ponte Vedra Beach Visitor Center.
Boudreaux holds a BA in Communication and a master’s in public administration from the University of North Florida. She also is a 2016 graduate of Leadership St. Johns – a program she credits with offering her a global perspective on St. Johns County that will be critical to her new role as Ponte Vedra Beach Division director.
“Leadership St. Johns did such a wonderful job of educating us and exposing us to so many aspects and nuances of our county,” she said. “Being part of that was very beneficial for me, as it enabled me to see where growth is headed and the challenges facing our county.”
Yet it is the strong ties she has forged within Ponte Vedra Beach itself, Boudreaux said, that she believes will enable her to hit the ground running in her new role with the chamber of commerce.
“I’m just so grateful for all the support I’ve received from members of the community who are as excited and enthusiastic about this opportunity as I am.”
