Robin Walton clearly remembers the first time she attended an event by the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey – nearly 15 years ago.

“The energy was high, the information was relevant, and the networking opportunity was perfect,” she said. “And I will tell you, after that day, I thought, ‘This is a group I need to be a part of’ – and I have been, ever since.”

One of the key reasons why: CCSNJ has evolved with the times.

Yes, it was great 15 years ago – great for an audience that was mostly male and mostly white. Great for an audience that enjoyed old school networking.

Much has changed since then. And Walton, who was named the chair of the CCSNJ Board earlier this month, said more is going to change moving forward.

“Evolve may be a better way to put it,” she said. “We are going to keep changing and evolving to better look like the members and the companies we represent – and to provide them with the things they need to succeed.

“Frankly, we have a very diverse and varied membership. I want to recognize that. And we need to ensure that every chamber member has that same experience that I always have – and to ensure that they feel seen and heard in terms of their needs, as we move forward in a more robust way.

“There are a lot of networking opportunities and events throughout the state. We need to continue to stay a step ahead.”

On the day Walton was announced as the new chair the chamber also announced a few new initiatives involving education and workforce development.

“It’s how we can bring something more creative and dynamic to our members, so that they feel like they are getting something a little different than what they’re used to being exposed to in the business community,” she said.

Walton, who serves as SVP of external affairs and chief philanthropy officer at Inspira Health, recently spoke with ROI-NJ about all this and more.

Here’s a look at the conversation, edited for space and clarity.

ROI-NJ: You talked about some new initiatives at the chamber, give us more details?

Robin Walton: We have a lot of need in South Jersey for workforce development for a number of reasons. We know that when you can get people into careers, you help stabilize the economy and the community. And we know that when you get companies in a place where they have qualified candidates, our communities thrive and grow.

So, next year, we will have a new initiative called EmpowerU, a certificate program offering skills for the modern workplace that we’re doing in conjunction with Rowan College. It’s going to be a six-week professional development training course, exclusive to employees of CCSNJ members, and it’s going to focus on a wide range of topics.

It will help grow our workforce.

ROI: How so?

RW: It’s what every company needs. It’s a conversation that we were having at Inspira, just a few weeks ago: How do we ensure that when we bring potential employees in from the more vulnerable areas and populations within our communities that we’re equipping them with what they need to be successful in jobs?

Everybody doesn’t have the same opportunities growing up, in terms of having parents from a professional workplace. Many people have different experiences and come from different environments and backgrounds, so they might not be exposed to all the skills and behaviors that are required within workplaces.

We are essentially offering wraparound services and support, so that those fundamental skills are in place, so that candidates can be successful, and, in turn, our businesses can retain them.

ROI: The effort to be inclusionary in a hallmark of CCSNJ. Talk about that?

RW: It is our intention to expand our DEIB work. We’re looking at how we can level up our supplier diversity matchmaking programs and increase participation of diverse speakers, panelists and special guests at events.

I will tell you, as much as I love the chamber that I’m a part of now, 14 years ago that room looked a lot different. It was not reflective of the community we serve, the community we live in or the community that we do business in.

I’m so proud of the fact that I had an opportunity to be a part of that effort to change – to hone in on how we ensure that we are looking at a chamber that is reflective of the community that we’re in. We are getting there, but there’s still work to do.

ROI: How do you do that?

RW: It’s about working with our membership to help develop leaders within their organization. It’s about ensuring that our supplier diversity matchmaking program is not just to check the box for companies – and that when our women and minority owned businesses are looking for opportunity, that it’s really an opportunity that will potentially materialize into something that will help their businesses grow and expand?

ROI: You have had great experiences at the chamber, but you’ve also had a variety of experiences in your day jobs. At Inspira now, and previously at Thomas Edison State University, your role in government affairs has enabled you to interact with a lot of different sectors and businesses of a lot of different sizes and models. How will that help you as chair?

RW: I’ve had the privilege of working in health care and higher education, two arenas that work with numerous business organizations.

Health care is really complex. Obviously, we think about health needs, that’s at the center of the work we do, but we’re also talking about issues around energy, commerce, education – the list goes on and on. The same goes for higher education.

These are really complex industries that have connective tissue to so many other areas. They really have allowed me the privilege to not only work with so many different industries, but so many different leaders throughout the state in order to ensure that we can really move the needle on priorities, I really think that background will lend support in a lot of ways to the amazing work that (CEO) Christina Renna and (Gov. Affairs lead) Hillary Chebra and the team is doing.

My work with elected and appointed officials, community and business leaders and our very gracious donors has given me an understanding of the needs of the seven counties within the southern region – and they are different.

ROI: Let’s talk about that. In terms of geography, CCSNJ is easily the biggest of the chambers that do not have a statewide footprint. That brings opportunities and challenges, as they say. How do you balance the needs and wants from Camden to Atlantic City and everywhere in between?

RW: I’ll start by saying I might be the most southern South Jersey person at the chamber. I was born and raised in Burlington County. I live in Camden County, and, through Inspira, I serve the people of Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland counties. I understand how diverse and varied our communities are, how diverse and varied our business community is. It can be a positive.

ROI: How so?

RW: We provide a lot of visibility, support and opportunity through networking and informing our members about trends – and we’re doing so while bringing together audiences that might not usually be together. That might create an opportunity for a business to grow through our chamber. It may help them to think differently about how to partner, how to creatively leverage opportunity and how to provide a different level of visibility and support. So, not only does this help to stabilize the businesses that we are serving, but also the communities that we work with.

Partnering is important to us. We have created partnerships with the African American Chamber, the Hispanic Chamber, the Pride Chamber and several other organizations. Our chamber leadership expects to continue to grow that over the next year.

ROI: The next year – it’s your first year as chair and an important one for the state, as we ready for a gubernatorial election. How will CCSNJ meet the moment?

RW: The stakes are high. There is a lot happening on a federal level, and we know that everything that happens on the federal level impacts the state, which impacts what happens on a local level.

We are continuing to grow our footprint and the depth of our relationships and connection to our elected appointed officials. We need to ensure that we’re providing more strategic opportunities for our membership around engaging with our government officials because there are a lot of issues that our companies are dealing with.

While we often manage the overarching advocacy around the different complications, whether it’s to support for or opposition against legislation that impacts our business community, we also want to provide the opportunity for our members to have direct access for their own individual business needs. That’s a win for everybody.