THE TEAM
Donna Watts
President & CEO
Donna has been the President of the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce since September 1997. In addition, she is the President of the South Baldwin Chamber Foundation. She serves on numerous Boards including G.U.M.B.O., Business Council of Alabama, past board member of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama, and is currently a part of the Coastal Resiliency Coalition leadership team.
Greg Alexander
President & CEO
Greg is celebrating twelve years in the Chamber world, having first served as the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce President & CEO in his native South Carolina. The leap into the role came after serving in the finance industry for nine years. While certainly a change of pace from what he was used to, the art of being a leader is in Alexander’s heart and soul. After graduating from Presbyterian College in 1992, he joined the US Army, rising to the ranks of Captain. His service led him to Germany to assist in Operation Joint Endeavor in the former Yugoslavia where he was directly responsible for 215 soldiers. Alexander’s work with the Laurens County and Hilton-Head Bluffton Chambers continued all the way to the summer of 2018 when a new opportunity came on the horizon. Tragedy struck the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber in January of 2018 when beloved President Ed Rodriguez passed away suddenly. In the wake of this news, the Chamber board of directors worked meticulously for nearly six months, sorting through nearly 100 candidates and finally landing Alexander in July of 2018. After traveling to the area through the interview process, Alexander and his family knew they wanted to call Coastal Alabama their new home. Since beginning in the office, Alexander has helped lead the charge in bringing positive change to the Chamber through enhancing member benefits and strengthening existing programs. A major steppingstone includes forming a partnership with the neighboring South Baldwin Chamber, leading to the Coastal Alabama Business Chamber becoming a part of the workforce and business development program, the Gateway Initiative. In June of 2020, the Chamber experienced an expansion as a second office was opened in Orange Beach through strong collaboration with Orange Beach local government. As this new opportunity and others arise, Alexander and his teams are eager to continue delivering results and solutions to members and investors alike.
Edward Bushaw
Vice President of Workforce Development | Gateway Initiative Team
Ed holds the position of Vice President of Workforce Development for the Gateway Initiative, a collaboration between the South Baldwin and Coastal Alabama Business Chambers of Commerce. Ed’s business experience includes Acquisition and Development with the Statler Hotel Corporation and the Western New York Hotel Management Corporation. Bushaw left the industry to accept a teaching position in Hotel/Restaurant Management at SUNY Jefferson where he rose to the position of Business Division Chair and Associate Professor. In 1994, Ed accepted a position with Faulkner State in Gulf Shores and retired from the college in 2018 as Division Chair and Campus Director. For the past 15 years, Bushaw has held the position of President of the consulting firm - Hospitality Innovations Group. Ed holds a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from SUNY Geneseo and a master's degree in Technical Education from SUNY Oswego. Ed’s wife Kristy is an associate broker with ReMax Paradise in Orange Beach and they have three children Jacob, Caitlyn, and Regan.
Tyler Morgan
Director of Career & Business Development | Gateway Initiative Team
Tyler joined the Gateway team in March 2021 assisting and championing the Gateway Initiative. A Montgomery native, she grew up vacationing on the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast like many Alabamians. She has a B.F.A. from The University of Mississippi (Hotty Toddy!) and a M.A. Ed. from Auburn University - Montgomery. Tyler’s experiences and skills in the education world were a key factor in the team’s decision to bring her on board; however, her background in the fine arts and years of event planning experience also brings an edge to the initiative. She taught junior high school for six years, managed events and sales for Perdido Beach Resort for three years, and later joined the Mobile Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, gaining additional experience in corporate, association, convention, and lodging sales with a market that expanded all over the country. “I am passionate about our ever-growing community, and truly understand why educating the workforce and employing our businesses with strong, sustainable, career-minded individuals in South Baldwin county is so important for the future,” said Tyler. She lives in Foley with her two fur babies, Mia and Stevie. In her spare time, she manages her own event planning business, enjoys working in her art studio, taking her dogs on adventures, and loves to cook while spending time with her family and friends.
Lori Pressley
Director of Communications | South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
Lori joined the Chamber team in October 2018 as the Director of Communications. Lori's career in education and industry as well as being a long-time Baldwin Countian serves her well coming into the chamber world: 22 years as technology coordinator and child transportation extraordinaire at St. Patrick's Catholic School, and 6 years at Rohr Southern Industries (Collins Aerospace). For the Chamber, Gateway, and the Foundation, she has led the charge on revamping many key communications outlets including digitizing many of the Chamber's regular media, like the Monthly Newsletter, and guiding the annual development of the Find It Local Guide, continually updating the chamber website, social media content, news releases, newsletters and emails on announcements, and business spotlights like ribbon-cutting and SBAwesome (customer service award) videos. Outside of the office, Lori enjoys boating along the Gulf Coast and spending lots of time with her family.
Travis Valentine
Vice President of Investor Relations / South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
Travis joined the Chamber team in February 2015. Responsible for strategically partnering members with chamber events and opportunities, Travis is working to help members build their businesses. Travis is responsible for recruiting new members to our Chamber, overseeing the Diplomat program, Local Discoveries Business Tours, Chamber Rec Nights, and AM Connections. Travis, his wife Merritt, daughter Tatum and son Holden reside in Gulf Shores.
