The Roanoker March/April 2017 - 28

What keeps her excited about Roanoke
though, is that you can be only 26 years
old and be such an integral part of
Roanoke. "There's not a lot of...places
where you get to have that privilege,
to be...invited to the meetings and be
on the guest lists. I value being seen
as an equal. There's always room to
grow, especially for us women; if you're
committed and work hard, I think there's
a lot of opportunity here to have a seat
at the table."
of membership and brand strategy at the Roanoke Regional Chamber, her job is a perfect fit with her bright
personality.
"People ask me what I would do if I could do anything in the world and money didn't matter. I love being
a cheerleader, and I get to be paid to be an encourager!
Here in Roanoke, there are so many people that are
ready to be your cheerleader...you stand on the sidelines
and support the team; there are a lot of folks that are
willing to do that and they don't care about where the
credit goes," she says.
Her job at the chamber requires thinking in two ways.
One is membership and programming; the other is legislative advocacy. Smith and her team are responsible for
raising 100 percent of the chamber's operating budget
through membership dues and non-dues, and events and
programs. She leads a team of four, putting on countless
events throughout the year, as well as staying focused
on membership sale and retention, benefits and communication. In addition, she's also part of Leadership
Roanoke Valley.
It's a huge job, but Smith is no stranger to hard work.
She's been with the chamber for four and a half years,
starting as the manager of networking events. Now in
her VP role for nearly two years, she's tackled becoming a manager, learning about interviewing and hiring
and other challenges.
Smith is from Russell County, the type of small area
where the adage is, "You can't go to Walmart without
makeup on." She couldn't wait to be done with school,
wanting to be an adult with a closet full of suits and carrying a briefcase everywhere. During her undergrad at
Radford University, where she majored in public rela28 | MARCH/APRIL 2017

tions, she completed an internship with a small chamber
of commerce. It was here she caught the bug for community relations, as she watched her boss make solutions
for everyone who walked in the door.
"It was amazing to see!" Smith says. "It was such a
lesson in integrity for me because her knowledge and
ability to really be what everyone needed was so cool.
They didn't care if she wore a suit or jeans. She was so
many things for so many different people."
Smith had to make cold calls for that internship,
which only enticed her further. As she went through
the list, speaking with strangers and hearing their stories, she was excited to see so many people supporting
the chamber. Smith's job is never boring, nor does it
even pause. She works many hours, often on nights or
weekends with events, but she does it all with a smile,
knowing even if she worked somewhere else, it would
be the same ethic.
"If something has my name associated with it, I really want it to be a certain level. At the chamber, there's
always something else we can do...I decided a long time
ago that I'm Cally, and I'm going to be the best Cally
I can be. I'll never be good at being anyone else, so I
wanted a job where I can set myself up for success in
being myself. Because at the end of the day, who's got
time to be someone else?"
Smith's job allows her to be present in other avenues.
She's president of her New Generations Rotary Club,
and along with Leadership Roanoke Valley, she's able to
meet so many people.
Smith and her husband love trying new restaurants.
(In fact, she says one of the worst parts about working
downtown is wanting to eat out for lunch every day and
yet trying to save time and money!) They enjoy spending
time outdoors and going to plays and concerts. Smith
loves the big weekend events that get people downtown,
and seeing so much life in a vibrant city is important to
her. What keeps her excited about Roanoke though, is
that you can be only 26 years old and be such an integral part of Roanoke.
"There's not a lot of other places where you get to
have that privilege, to be in the room and invited to the
meetings and be on the guest lists. I value being seen
as an equal," she says. "There's always room to grow,
especially for us women; if you're committed and work
hard, I think there's a lot of opportunity here to have a
seat at the table."

JACLYN Chaddic

Roanoke City Police Department
24 years old
As a Roanoke City police officer in the bravo platoon,
Jaclyn Chaddic performs many roles you might not
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The Roanoker March/April 2017

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