EATON — After a nearly six-month search, the Preble County Chamber of Commerce will soon have a new leader. Leslie Collins, of Eaton, has been named executive director beginning May 8.

Collins is no stranger to the Preble County Chamber of Commerce, having previously served on the board of directors. She is currently vice-president of the Preble County Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, and has been instrumental in that organization’s marketing of Preble County, its events and activities.

Collins comes to the chamber after a 20-year career at The Register-Herald, most recently as general manager and advertising director. A graduate of Miami University in Oxford, Collins holds a Bachelor of Science in Education. After several years of substitute teaching in and around Preble County, Collins joined the staff of The Register-Herald in 1997 as a reporter. Over the past two decades, she has served in many capacities at the newspaper and will bring to the chamber a multitude of skills ranging from communications and marketing to budgeting, event planning and promotion. Under Collins’ leadership, The Register-Herald has won many awards for its news coverage and photography, and ranked financially as one of Civitas’ top publications, alongside their much larger daily publications across the country.

“I am excited to embark on this new journey of promoting and working toward new growth and continued success for the businesses and residents of Preble County,” Collins said.