Katie Wood

Katie Wood (Staff photo by Ken Ritchie)

Evan Shields
Courier Staff Writer

Katie Wood didn’t originally expect to stay in Madison after she graduated from college. Now, she’s glad she did.

Wood, 25, works with business services and marketing at the Madison Area Chamber of Commerce. She works mainly on membership visits and visits with prospective members of the chamber. She also works on communications with members about upcoming events.

She went to Indiana Wesleyan University and came back to Madison on what she thought would be a temporary basis to work in a grant-funded position with the Lide White Boys and Girls Club. From there, she began working with the chamber and has been there since.

She’s been working there since October and said it’s been a fun experience.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” she said. “Every day is a learning experience.”

Wood was born and raised in Madison and graduated from Madison Consolidated High School in 2005.

She loves traveling and intends to go to Ireland in the spring. During school, she studied international and community development, which provided ample opportunities to travel. Wood said she’s been to Australia, South Africa and El Salvador, among other places. But Wood and her husband also travel across the state.

“A lot of our friends live out of town, so we spend a lot of time visiting,” she said.

She and her husband currently serve as the co-presidents of the Ulster Project. She worked as a counselor with the group before becoming a discovery leader, eventually becoming the vice president and then president.

Wood said she has big plans for the upcoming year with the chamber, including its 2012 strategic plan and a regional business expo for businesses in Jefferson, Scott and Switzerland counties in Indiana and Carroll County in Kentucky.

“I really love the community and just getting to talk to other people,” she said.