The chamber's board of directors made the announcement on Tuesday.
Hammond is Laurinburg's city clerk and current chamber vice president of internal affairs. She will lead the organization after Drew Williamson, 2010 chairperson.
“I am truly humbled and excited to have this opportunity to be a part of leading this organization,” Hammond said. “I have always had a special interest in our chamber, and my association with the chamber began long before I became a member.”
Hammond says she first became involved with the chamber in 2000 when she participated in the Leadership Scotland Program. The program led her to attend the Leadership North Carolina Program. Hammond is the current president of the North Carolina Association of Municipal Clerks.
Hammond said the chamber is vital for the growth and retention of businesses in Scotland County, and a focal point of contact for Laurinburg and Scotland County.
“The chamber has always worked to promote business and industry here. We believe we can still have a positive impact on our economy by developing programs which will assist with job growth and retention efforts. The majority of our members are small businesses, and we intend to do everything we can to help those businesses grow and prosper.”
Among her other accomplishments, Hammond has chaired the chamber’s Christmas Parade Committee and Membership Committee, and she was instrumental in the start of the Chamber on the Half Shell Oyster Roast in 2008. Hammond was the chamber’s Ambassador of the Year in 2001 and the chamber’s Volunteer of the Year in 2002.
"We have been fortunate to have great leadership here at the chamber, and I look forward to following Drew Williamson, who I know will do a great job next year as chamber chairperson," she said. "I’m also confident that our membership will continue to grow under the direction of Theresa Lamson. I hope that we can continue to be the voice of business for Scotland County.”
Hammond has also spent time on several local boards. She served on the United Way Board, serves on the local Scotland County ABC Board, and currently serves on the chamber’s Board of Directors. She acted as the first female chairperson for the ABC Board during her term in 2004.
Hammond was awarded the Region N Clerk of the Year award in 2002 by the Lumber River Council of Governments, and received the North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Award in 2002.
Born just across the state line in Bennettsville, S.C., and raised in Laurinburg, Hammond graduated from Laurinburg High School. Afterward, Hammond moved away from Scotland County and attended college in Charlotte, where she received an associate in science degree in business. She returned to Scotland County after living in Charlotte and in North Myrtle Beach, SC.
“Moving back to Laurinburg was the best move I could have made,” Hammond said.
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