Debbie Egidio permanently named Vacaville Chamber of Commerce CEO

Goodbye, interim title. After six months of serving as the acting president and CEO of the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce, Debbie Egidio was officially named the leader of the city’s chief business advocate and collaborative during a meeting of the Board of Directors Wednesday.

“(During her interim period) Debbie rose to the challenges, exceed any expectations, and has shown that she is the logical choice to lead the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce into 2022 and beyond,” Board President Ed Rapisarda said in a statement. “It is with great excitement, that the Board of Directors unanimously approved the hiring of Debbie Egidio as the permanent President and Chief Executive Officer of the Vacaville Chambers of Commerce.”

Egidio is the owner of marketing and public relations business DTS Egidio — named for herself, her husband and co-owner Tom and their late dog Sammy. She previously worked for Triad Communications, which oversaw development of projects such as the Hiddenbrooke community in Vallejo and planned mixed-use development at Lagoon Valley Park, and also was the marketing director for the Vallejo Convention and Visitors Bureau and worked in the marketing department for Six Flags Discovery Kingdom when it was known as Marine World Africa USA.

From 2010 to 2017, Egidio was on the Chamber’s Board of Directors and served as chairwoman from 2015 to 2016.

“Tom and I have lived in Vacaville since 2006 and are true fans for this city that made us feel so at home right from the start – and the Chamber was a big part of that,” Egidio said in a statement. “It helped us quickly get to know the movers and shakers of the town, the small businesses that only ‘insiders’ knew about, restaurants and shops with local charm, where to take our grandkids to share some fun, dog-friendly places to bring Sammy, our Golden Retriever, and so much more to make us feel like an integral part of the community.”

According to a Chamber news release, Egidio has been at the forefront of several events since she was named the interim president in March. These have included the annual Night of Champions dinner, a virtual town hall with Rep. John Garamendi, three virtual “Meet Your City Council” meetings with council members and has taken part in multiple committees.

“She has also helped strengthen and maintain our relationships with the City of Vacaville, Visit Vacaville, Downtown Vacaville BID, and Solano SBDC,” per the release.

Egidio is also currently organizing the Cowtown Classic Golf Tournament, scheduled for Sept. 27 at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club in Vallejo, and a joint mixer between four local chambers and Solano Community College.

Egidio takes the reins from Becky Craig, who left after six years to serve as the assistant county executive officer of Napa County.