Business

Former Columbus Chamber of Commerce executive named CEO of local nonprofit

Amy Bryan, a former Columbus chamber of commerce executive, is the new CEO of Direct Services, a regional nonprofit that assists elderly and disabled residents.
Amy Bryan, a former Columbus chamber of commerce executive, is the new CEO of Direct Services, a regional nonprofit that assists elderly and disabled residents.

A former Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce executive has been tapped to serve as the new CEO of Direct Services, a regional nonprofit that assists elderly and disabled residents.

Amy Bryan is the third CEO in Direct Services’ 43-year history, according to a company news release. She was selected following a search that began last September. Bryan previously served as the Great Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Vice President of Community Development & Growth.

“I have been following Direct Services for the last several years and have watched the organization grow in the Chattahoochee Valley and beyond. I look forward to working with the incredibly dedicated professional team to continue accelerating the mission of Direct Services,” Bryan said in a statement.

The nonprofit serves elderly and disabled residents within the 16 Georgia counties of the River Valley Area: Chattahoochee, Clay, Crisp, Dooly, Harris, Macon, Marion, Muscogee, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Stewart, Sumter, Talbot, Taylor and Webster counties.

Direct Services provides more than 330,000 home-delivered meals to qualified seniors through its flagship Meals on Wheels program in an eight-county area in the Chattahoochee region and subcontracts to its counterpart the Flint River Agency on Aging, according to the nonprofit’s news release.

In addition to other home aid services, the nonprofit has senior center enrichment programs in Clay, Harris, Muscogee, Randolph and Stewart counties.

Jerald Mitchell, the President and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, told the Ledger-Enquirer Monday afternoon that the search to fill Bryan’s executive vice president role will soon begin.

The position oversees the build out of programs like Leadership Columbus and is “critical” to the organization’s membership growth and sponsorship opportunities, Mitchell said.

“We certainly appreciate her 13 years of service to the community,” he said of Bryan’s time at the chamber. “We look forward to partnering with Amy in her new role.”

This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 4:26 PM.

Nick Wooten
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Nick Wooten is the Accountability/Investigative reporter for the Ledger-Enquirer where he is responsible for covering several topics, including Georgia politics. His work may also appear in the Macon Telegraph. Nick was given the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Emerging Journalist award for his coverage of elections, COVID-19 and Columbus’ LGBTQ+ community. Before joining McClatchy, he worked for The (Shreveport La.) Times covering city government and investigations. He is a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
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