LEWISTON — Shanna Cox, the president and chief executive officer of the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, has announced her decision to leave the organization as she prepares to run for public office.

Cox accepted the position as president and CEO six years ago and has been a driving force for the organization ever since.

Cox is a member of the Maine Trust Community Board, which provides input and support to the Maine Trust for Local News, which owns the Sun Journal.

In an exclusive interview, Cox discussed her decision to leave and explained how the transition will work moving forward.

“As a leader, as a chief executive officer, you want to be thoughtful about a transition,” she said. “As I thought about my next steps, I think it’s really likely that it’s going to include running for public office, and that’s just not compatible with this job.”

It is also contrary to the chamber’s policy, which is to remain nonpartisan. In an email to members and partners, Betsy Sibley, chair of the chamber’s board of directors, wrote, “We were founded as a membership organization to create and lobby for business-friendly policies, and we know our greatest impact on behalf of the businesses we serve comes from working with all elected officials, regardless of party or platform. This principle has guided our work for many years and will continue to do so.”

Cox would not say what elected office she will run for, nor would she say which party she will be aligned with. “In January, folks can pull papers and publicly declare,” she said. “And this is certainly not a declaration, but I plan to run for elected office. I live in this region and I hope to run for something in the state.”

Cox grew up in the rural Hancock County town of Orland and put herself through the University of Maine, earning a degree in economics.

She came to the area in 2005. Prior to the chamber, she started and operated her own consulting firm, Project Tipping Point, and worked with a number of nonprofit boards. She continues to serve on the Lewiston Planning Board.

The chamber has engaged Career Management Associates to lead the search for Cox’s replacement. She has given the chamber an end date of June 2026 — a full year to find her replacement.

“The conversation is not how do we replace me in this moment, but how do we find an executive who can support the plans and the work over the next five years and where that will take the organization,” Cox added.

Alyson Daniels, incoming chamber board chair, offered high praise for Cox’s tenure, writing she has done a remarkable job with a forward-thinking vision.

“Her leadership has helped us as a board reimagine what a membership organization looks like and how it serves members and the surrounding communities, while simultaneously generating new and innovative ways to engage with businesses and individuals alike,” Daniels said. “Given the handful of unexpected and historic events that we have experienced during Shanna’s tenure, the LA Metro community is one that we strongly believe is worth serving and the chamber is well-positioned to be a steadfast resource through this leadership transition.”

Daniels is referring to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston that took the lives of 18 people, left 13 others wounded and a community in shock.

Sibley also has high praise for Cox in an email response to a request for comment: “On behalf of the board, I want to express our deep appreciation to Shanna Cox for six remarkable years of leadership, vision, and service to our chamber and the broader community. Under her guidance, the organization has experienced meaningful growth and strengthened its role as a vital resource for local businesses.”

“I have just such deep belief in this region and its potential and that it already has great assets,” Cox said. “It’s not just that I think that this region could be great someday, I think it already is.”