Contributed by Amy Fitzgibbons, Vice President of Marketing & Communications, Cincinnati Regional Chamber
At its Annual Dinner last Thursday, the Cincinnati Regional Chamber held its “passing of the gavel” ceremony to welcome its new Board Chair. Per Chamber governance policy, at the end of 2024, former CVG CEO Candace McGraw, now Immediate Past Chair of the Chamber board, completed her two-year tenure as Chair. James Watkins, CEO of Triversity Construction, assumed the role of Chair after serving for the last two years as Vice Chair of the Board.
“Over the past decade, Jim has made Cincinnati his home. He has lent his passion, expertise and leadership to numerous initiatives in our region, including affordable housing policy, the caps on Fort Washington Way, and economic development—all in support of our vision of building a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs,” said Brendon Cull, President & CEO of the Cincinnati Regional Chamber. “I’m grateful for his service to our organization and looking forward to his contributions as Board Chair.”
James Watkins serves as Triversity’s President and Chief Executive Officer with more than 30 years’ experience leading all business phases of construction management, general contracting, and its craft force division. Serving as its President for 11 years, Watkins guided Triversity toward all-time high growth and built its new headquarters, a $4 million development, in Walnut Hills.
Watkins is responsible for leading the company’s day-to-day business operations and executing the company’s annual business plan giving him oversight of profit and loss company wide. In addition to the Chamber Board, Watkins serves as a board member for ACI (Allied Construction Industries), Spirit of Construction, Truist Community Advisory Board and Cincinnati Housing Advisory Board. Watkins played a major role in several corporate construction management training programs and was an active member of the ACE Mentor program. He has been named “Who’s Who in Detroit” and is a past NOMA (National Organization of Minority Architects) board member. He is also a graduate of the Cincinnati Chamber’s Leadership Cincinnati, class 37 and an active Vistage member.
The following individuals also joined as Board Members at the end of 2024:
- Katrina English, SVP & Chief Administrative Officer, UC Health
- Holly H. Mazzocca, CFP®, President, Wealth Advisor, Principal, Bartlett
- Lisa Vannis, Audit & Assurance Partner, Deloitte
- Andrew E. Worrell, General Counsel and Secretary, Fischer Homes
To learn more about the Chamber’s Board of Directors, please visit: https://cincinnatichamber.com/board-of-directors/
About the Cincinnati Regional Chamber
The Cincinnati Regional Chamber is the premier business and civic organization dedicated to growing the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. To achieve its vision that Cincinnati is a growing, thriving region where everyone belongs, the Chamber seeks to grow our economy, grow our population, and grow our cultural vibrancy – with the foundation of a strong business community – to foster a welcoming environment for all. The Chamber’s membership offerings, signature leadership programs, government and regional advocacy efforts, community events such as BLINK and Oktoberfest as well as key partnerships with organizations like Cincinnati Experience, Cincinnati Compass, Cincinnati Minority Business Accelerator, and the Workforce Innovation Center lead the way in making that vision a reality. For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamber.com.