Staff

	Bob Finer Membership Relations Manager Originally from Upstate New York, Bob enlisted in the United States Air Force after graduating from business school, earning a diploma in Office Administration. Upon completing communications school, he was transferred to Hamilton Air Force Base in 1964 and honorably discharged in 1967. Bob and his wife have lived in Marin County for forty-six years. Bob’s journey into the world of business began at the age of ten, working in one of his father’s jewelry stores. Upon earning an AA degree in Business Administration and a BA degree in Business Management; earning highest honors in his major; Bob then entered the corporate world. He has forty year’s of management experience including: managing a forty million dollar sales division budget, managed a sales team consisting of 57 sales representatives and 8 managers, advertising sales and sales management, marketing, public relations, special projects management, sales assessment, training development in addition to conducting sales and sales management training classes. Along with a partner, Bob founded a wholesale gift company in 1989. The company now serves up-scale gift shops throughout the United States. Bob has been married to his best friend and partner Elizabeth for forty-eight years. He is the proud father of two successful adult children and Grandfather of four Grandsons’ two of which have been inducted into a gifted children's program. Bob has always had a passion for community service, earning an Eagle Scout Bronze Palm while in high school and inducted into an honor scout program titled, "Order of the Arrow". Rotary International awarded him a Paul Harris Fellow for his service rendered to the community of Novato. Appointed by the Marin Superior Court, he served as Foreman of the Marin County Criminal Grand Jury. He also served on the Novato Superintendent of Schools Community Advisory Council and was a member of the Board of Directors; Ignacio Rotary Club. Bob has also been a volunteer with Project Headstart, the Marin Food Bank, the Novato Human Needs Center and a voter precinct worker. He is a life member of the Novato Historical Guild and the California Sheriffs Association. Bob is also a member of the Marin Center for the Arts, KQED Public Television and a Charter Member of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. He is also a contributor to Novato Community Hospital Walkway to Health and has served as a committee member for their community outreach program. He is also a member of the Marin Community Health Foundation. After retiring from the corporate world, Bob joined the staff at the Novato Chamber of Commerce in May of 2000 and has been responsible for the Leadership Novato Program for three years. Currently, he holds the position of Member Relations Manager, which allows him to more directly serve the needs of the entire membership.
	Coy Smith Chief Executive Officer A long and successful history of fundraising and working with non-profit businesses, plus management experience are among the talents that Coy Smith brings to his position as CEO of the Novato Chamber of Commerce. He has been the CEO of the Novato Chamber since 2005. He received his credential as an Accredited Chamber Executive Graduate in 2007 from the Western Association of Chamber Executives. Coy serves on the Economic Development Commission for the City of Novato, and on the Board of Directors of Superior Chamber Executives of Northern California. Prior to work in the Chamber field, Coy was employed in several capacities in the recycling industry of over 25 years where he received several state and national awards for his work. During that time he worked for the private sector, government agencies and the non-profit sector in various management capacities to implement recycling programs and policies. Coy was one of fifty individuals in the United States to be selected by President Bill Clinton to serve on a task force to develop a National Recycling Policy. He is one of the founders of the Novato Charter School and has served on numerous local state and national Boards of Directors over the past thirty years. Coy has a BS degree from San Jose State University in Environmental Studies with a minor in Communications. He lives in Petaluma with his two sons.
	Liz Watson Director of Communications & Leadership As Director of Communications and Leadership, Liz Watson taps a diverse background of journalism and news reporting, public relations, events planning and promotion, product launch and strategic communications consulting. Fascinated by the “human side of business,” Liz enjoys working with small businesses as well as major corporations to respond to the inevitability of change – not if but when. The delivery of a consistent message, developed with a grasp of the marketplace and intended audience, is crucial. It is this interest in business communication that brought her to the Novato Chamber of Commerce in the summer of 2008. Liz's previous experience in public relations, marketing and advertising for Nevada-based entertainment corporations, including Lake Tahoe's Harvey's Resort Hotel/Casino and MGM Grand, brought her closer to corporate communications consulting and, in the 1990s, to Marin County. She worked on projects for Fireman’s Fund, Apple Computers, Kaiser Permanente, and the International Associations of Machinists. Liz continued to work with the Sausalito-based firm on nationally-recognized organizations and government agencies when she returned to the mountains and opened Liz Watson Communications in South Lake Tahoe. Regionally-based clients included: Lake Tahoe Visitor's Authority, Lake Tahoe Community College, the City of Carson City, Nevada; Tahoe Mountain News and the El Dorado County Departments of Public Health and Mental Health. From 2000 to 2002, she managed a disaster mitigation FEMA grant for Carson City. Under the direction of the Carson City Fire Department, she created the MOU between agencies and private enterprise and coordinated business and home disaster preparedness education and recovery strategies. Liz has many interests, including international travel and opportunities for cultural immersion. She taught English at the College of Micronesia and conversational English while living in Chiang Mai, Thailand; sailed the Greek Islands and recently spent extended time in Australia. On a more personal note, her son Matt , 24, lives and works in South Lake Tahoe. “Matt is my truest source of inspiration and my consummate teacher." Her granddaughter, Rylee, was born in February of 2010. You will find Liz’s freelance byline from time to time in North Bay publications.
	Kris Wiley, CMP Office Manager/Special Events Coordinator Professional meeting & event planning and executive assistant experience are two of the reasons Kris Wiley was selected office manager and special events coordinator for the Novato Chamber of Commerce. Her duties as office manager, include assisting visitors, customer service, maintaining the membership database and making sure the office is running smoothly. She will also be the staff liason for the Business Education, Women in Business, Golf and Business Showcase Committees, working with them to produce Strategies for Success events; Women In Business luncheons and Summerfest; the annual Business Showcase and Golf tournament. Wiley has served for 7 years as a Chamber Ambassador through her affiliation with Soroptimist International of Novato, a professional women’s service organization. Kris has been a member of Soroptimist for 21 years and has served as the Club’s President four times. She is chair of the Fashion Show/Luncheon, the main fundraiser for this group, held in April. Wiley has been an independent meeting and event planner with the professional designation as Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) for 9 years, prior to that she was a corporate meeting and event planner for Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. She has planned all kinds of events including corporate meetings, incentive programs, team building and wedding receptions. Wiley grew up in Terra Linda and has lived in Novato since 1982, where she raised her son Jamie. You can reach her at (415) 209-1282 or kris@novatochamber.com