Longtime Chamber leader resigns after 40-year career

SARASOTA — Steve Queior, president and CEO of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, announced his resignation.

Queior took over as the leader of the organization in late 2003 and has had a 40-year chamber career, a statement says. His previous experience includes leadership roles at chambers in South Bend, Ind. and Fort Lauderdale.

Under Queior's leadership, the Sarasota Chamber advanced the funding of targeted improvements to downtown Sarasota and aided in the development of Nathan Benderson Park's Suncoast Aquatic and Nature Center, the statement says. He also led the launch of Sarasota Tomorrow, a key partner in bringing the Baltimore Orioles spring training operations to the region.

The chamber has already identified a transition team to lead the search committee. As the Sarasota Chamber looks for and finds a replacement, Queior has offered to stay on full-time for the remainder of the year or until a new president is hired. His long-term plans were not specified in the statement.

“I look forward to pursuing opportunities here with a narrower focus that would engage my expertise in areas I'm very committed to, such as education attainment, workforce development and housing and nonprofit management,” he says.