Orange County Chamber names Domenic Baiocco as new board chair

Domenic Baiocco is set to take the helm of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce board at a moment when the organization has become a larger and more visible force in county business politics. The chamber said Baiocco will replace Nicole Tompkins as chair on May 21, when the board meets for its annual retreat, a change it said follows the organization’s bylaws.

Tompkins is stepping down because she is relocating out of state after eight years of service, including the past three years as board chair. Her tenure coincided with a period of growth for the chamber, which said it has doubled its membership to 1,200 businesses since 2021. Chamber leaders also pointed to the group’s rise to New York State Chamber of the Year recognition from the Business Council of New York State as part of the momentum Tompkins helped build.

Baiocco, who is vice president of commercial lending and sales team leader at Wallkill Valley Federal Savings and Loan, brings a banking-sector perspective to a role that touches employers across Goshen, Middletown, Newburgh, Chester, Monroe and Port Jervis. For local businesses, the shift matters because the chamber has positioned itself as a countywide advocate on business development, networking, member services and the policy issues that shape hiring, borrowing, expansion and municipal approvals.

Heather Bell-Meyer, the chamber’s president and CEO, said Tompkins’ leadership helped power the chamber’s growth, vision, progress and expanded services for members. Bell-Meyer was named permanent president and CEO in 2021, and under that leadership the chamber has sharpened its role as a connector between employers and the institutions that influence economic development across Orange County.

The chamber’s own history explains why the chairmanship carries weight. It was formed in 1997 by consolidating the county’s two largest chambers of commerce, both of which had more than a century of prior service to the business community. Today, about 75% of its members are businesses with fewer than five employees, meaning decisions at the board level can have an outsized effect on the small firms that dominate the local economy.

Baiocco has already been publicly listed as vice chair on chamber board materials, making the transition a planned succession rather than a break in direction. Still, the handoff comes as Orange County employers are watching closely for how the chamber prioritizes workforce needs, development debates, regulation and advocacy over the next year.