The Woodlands Area Chamber announces John (J.J.) Hollie as new CEO & President

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - Chairman of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce Board, Danny Schroder, announced this morning that after a six week nationwide search, the Board of Directors has unanimously chosen John H. (JJ) Hollie II as the new President & CEO of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce. The change will be effective on September 1, 2015 following the retirement of current CEO, Karen Hoylman.

"The Board and Staff of The Chamber are very pleased to have this highly qualified, outstanding individual join our team, and look forward to a new exciting era of growth for our organization" said Chairman Schroder.

Current CEO, Karen Hoylman, announced her plans to retire in May of this year after over 21 years of service to the organization.

Hoylman has been CEO of The Chamber since 1996, replacing U. S. Congressman Kevin Brady. “It has been such fun and so rewarding to work with this community as it has grown from the 24,000 people when I arrived, to well over 100,000 today. I have enjoyed working with the business community and am proud of all we have accomplished,” said Hoylman. “Our Chamber has grown tremendously as well, and today we have over 2,400 companies who participate with us. I am excited to turn our organization over to JJ to continue to move us forward for the next 20 years.”

Hollie was born in Dallas, Texas and was raised by a military family. He had the unique privilege of attending grade school in Holland and Japan where his father was stationed. He graduated from high school in Alaska and earned a Political Science degree in 1991 from Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.

After an internship in Washington D.C., Hollie served as staff assistant to Congressman Charlie Wilson in the District Office in Lufkin, Texas from 1991 to 1996 working on various issues including Department of Education, Forest Service, Social Security, and Immigration.

In 1994, Hollie joined the Army National Guard and went to Basic Training and Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia. He served until 2000 as a Paratrooper and was in the Field Artillery.

In 1998, Hollie began his career with Consolidated Communications in Business Sales and is currently the National Consumer Data Manager. Hollie moved to Montgomery County in 2007 and has been an active role-model in the community.

Hollie, his wife, Amy, and son, Trey, are in the process of moving to The Woodlands from Conroe, Texas where the family attends The Ark Church. He enjoys fitness activities in his spare time that include swimming, road biking, mountain biking, running and adventure races. In 2014 he completed the Ironman Texas Triathlon in The Woodlands.

Formed in 1978, The Chamber represents over 2,000 member companies and is frequently ranked as the #2 Chamber in the Houston region in Houston Business Journal’s Book of Lists. www.woodlandschamber.org.