New chamber director busy from the start

Dec. 2—Devon Colton didn't exactly ease into her new job as executive director of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce.

Her third day was Saturday, Dec. 3, which brought one of the chamber's signature events, the Christmas Twilight Parade and lighting of the community Christmas tree downtown.

"I'm really excited about it," Colton, 27, said on Wednesday, Nov. 30, the day before she started the job.

Colton, a 2013 Baker High School graduate, replaces Shelly Cutler, who served as chamber director for the past seven years. Cutler resigned Oct. 30 to take a job as marketing and communication specialist for Saint Alphonsus Medical Centers in Baker City and Ontario.

Jerry Peacock, president of the chamber's board of directors, said the board was pleased to hire someone with strong ties to Baker County.

"We are very excited to have Devon," Peacock said. "She is a local, a Baker High grad. She knows the area and brings a lot of enthusiasm to the position."

Colton said it wasn't daunting to start a new job almost on the eve of a major event because the planning for the parade and tree-lighting had been done.

Colton said she grew up participating in chamber events such as Miners Jubilee.

Her dad, Chris Galiszewski, has been involved in the Baker County Sheriff's Office's Search and Rescue program for many years, and Colton said she rode on many parade floats.

After graduating from BHS, Colton attended Eastern Oregon University in La Grande, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in art.

She moved to Colorado where she had multiple jobs, including helping people with kidney disease find treatment.

"I really enjoyed that," she said of the job, which she had for about two years.

Colton said she had long been interested in helping set up events, and she worked as an intern for a wedding planner.

She enjoyed the work, so she started her own wedding planning business.

She and her husband, Caleb Colton, who grew up near North Powder, moved back to Eastern Oregon in 2021.

She worked for the Oregon State University Extension Office, helping to plan the Baker County Fair.

"I loved being back in Baker County," she said. "I fell in love with the community I grew up in."

Most recently, Colton worked for Baker Sanitary Service. She said she'll also continue to do wedding planning occasionally.

Colton said she considered applying for the contract as Baker County's tourism marketing director this spring, but she didn't submit a proposal.

Baker County commissioners hired Jessica Hobson in late May on a two-year contract as marketing director.

When the chamber director job opened, however, Colton said she decided to apply.

"It seemed like a better fit," she said.

Colton said that although she doesn't have extensive experience in tourism, she is eager to learn more about parts of Baker County she isn't familiar with, and meeting business owners who are members of the chamber.