The Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors unanimously approved naming Ray Tipton as Executive Director on Monday.

“Ray has been a great asset to the Chamber as marketing manager for the last several years,” said Chamber Board Chairman Aaron Diaz.  “He has proven himself as a leader and has made great strides helping the chamber grow while focusing on local businesses.”

Tipton has been interim executive director since February after being the Brownwood Chamber’s director of business development and marketing for almost 5 years.

Before joining the chamber staff, he was a licensed real estate agent.  He has also owned several local businesses over the last two decades.

“Being a business owner helps me to understand the struggles that they go through,” Tipton said. “I have a passion for our community and want to take my past experiences in small business to help current businesses thrive.”

Tipton is a graduate of Brownwood High School who went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard Payne University.

He has been married to his wife Lisa for over 20 years and they have two children who are students at Brownwood High School.