Karen Falk named executive director of Milton chamber

Milton Chamber of Commerce has named Karen Falk as its new executive director, and she is looking to build on what the chamber has already done to move into a post-COVID era.

“This town is so vibrant and it's so dynamic,” Falk said. “This town is very unique. I’m just really excited to be in this position to help pull it all together.”

Board President Anne Brown said the chamber has been operating as a volunteer organization for years and was now in the financial position to be able to hire someone as director.

“We’re so excited to have someone of the background and experience of this lady right here,” Brown said of Falk. “It’s been hard to hold on to someone because Milton has been growing, but it hasn't had the excitement around it that we have now. The stars aligned with being able to bring her on coming into 2023, which I think is going to be a huge year for this town.”

A native of the Baltimore area, Falk’s career has taken her through fields such as television, tourism and marketing. A graduate of Towson University, she started her career working for Howard County, Md., where she helped secure grants and did business outreach. Wanting to move to the coast, she landed a job with Southern Delaware Tourism. After having her son, Falk became a stay-at-home mom and started doing consulting and social media work on her own for Rehoboth-area businesses and Rehoboth Beach Main Street. While still doing that, Falk got a job with Susan B. Komen Foundation, which lasted until she got the job with the Milton chamber.

Falk said she is excited for what’s on the horizon with the chamber, such as two grants from the federal COVID relief bill, one for $40,000 and one for $5,000. With the $40,000 grant, the chamber is looking to invest in its own office.

Brown said, “It’s always been a vision of this board to have a permanent location that would also act as a visitors center for Milton.”

The $5,000 grant will be used for wayfinding signage around Milton.

Falk said right now, she wants to take time to organize and improve the chamber’s communications, such as its website and calendar of events, as well as spend time with chamber members.

“I need to really focus on the groundwork,” Falk said. “I think about things that are already going on here or could be going on in the future. What can we do to bring in more?”