Novato Chamber of Commerce prepares for leadership transition

Coy Smith, the chief executive officer of the Novato Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, plans to step down at the end of the year.

The organization’s board has named Christina Mendes, the director of maintenance and operations, to take over in January. She has worked for the organization for 10 years.

“I think the main focus is keeping our tradition strong,” said Mendes, 40. “We really want to strengthen our membership. We want to improve and grab more folks and bring them into the chamber.”

Mendes...