Sherwood, Who Presided Over a New Vision for Haverhill Chamber, is Stepping Down for Testing Startup

Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce President Dougan Sherwood before the Haverhill City Council in 2019. (WHAV News file photograph.)

Greater Haverhill Chamber’s Dougan Sherwood is leaving his post as president, but will remain with the organization he reshaped over the last two years as a member of its board of directors.

Sherwood is joining a Cambridge startup focused on scaling COVID-19 testing across the country. Since being named president and CEO during May 2018, Sherwood guided a rewrite of the Chamber’s mission and vision, moved the organization to the UMass Lowell iHub and formed partnerships to increase diversity.

“I came to Haverhill because I see the potential in its diversity.  It’s a complicated place but it has so much going for it.” said Sherwood in a statement Friday. “This Chamber sees itself as a driver for important growth and change throughout Haverhill. It’s been a wonderful experience working with so many talented people working together to make this organization a leader in Haverhill. I’m excited to move onto the Board to continue this work and to offer my support to our next president.”

The Chamber will soon be kicking off a search for its next leader. Sherwood was recruited from the Cambridge Innovation Center, succeeding Beverly Donovan.

Board Chair Matthew E. Juros acknowledged Sherwood’s impact on the Chamber, saying, “The organization that exists today is vastly different than when Dougan arrived. His mandate was to strip the organization to its core and rebuild it as a nimble, inclusive community and economic development operator. Today the Greater Haverhill Chamber leans into businesses both emerging and established and the entrepreneurs who lead them. It’s been a heady ride, with Dougan. I am deeply grateful to him and I’m excited to add a new leader to the team so we can continue our work in this burly, vibrant Gateway City.”

Sherwood is credited with diversifying leadership on the Chamber’s board and collaborating with organizations like the Lawrence Partnership and the Lowell Plan to, as a statement reads, “encourage diversifying and preparing the leadership talent pipeline for these vibrant Gateway Cities.”  His efforts earned him the title of “Gateway Cities Champion” and the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth2020 Award for Small Business Diversity and Inclusivity.

He will also remain involved in Haverhill and the Merrimack Valley as a member of Haverhill’s Harbor Commission and as a director of the Merrimack River Watershed Council.

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