A Templeton woman with previous careers in sales and marketing has been named executive director of the Templeton Chamber of Commerce.

Berdette Robison, who started on Oct. 8, plans to work with local organizations in Templeton and throughout the North County.

Robison, 66, is the chamber’s first executive director, and will lead a membership of about 200 businesses.

“Now we are at the point when ... we felt the need for someone devoted to the business of the chamber,” chamber President Robert Rosales said. “The first step in moving forward was to hire an executive director.”

The position was organized for about a year before organizers launched a mostly countywide search in July.

Robison, a UCLA graduate, brings a background to the position of print advertising on the local, regional and national levels, according to a chamber news release.

She was previously the marketing director at the Community Performance and Arts Center in Green Valley, Ariz. There, she was responsible for hiring performers, implementing membership, creating fundraising campaigns, working with government agencies and organizing special events.

Robison first moved to the Central Coast in 1992 and later moved to Arizona. After seven years there, she returned this summer and bought a home in Templeton, officials said.

“My goal is to create a dynamic and vibrant business community and promote economic vitality while maintaining the quality of life Templeton enjoys,” Robison said in a statement.

She enjoys gardening, decorating, live theater and spending time with her grandchildren.

The foundations of the Templeton Chamber of Commerce began in 1902 as a business trade group that was recognized by the state in 1913. In the 1970s, the group officially became a chamber of commerce after local business leaders rallied together to revive the organization, Rosales said.

Until now, the organization has operated by volunteers, including its board of directors and a volunteer ambassadors group.

The board of directors of the Templeton Chamber of Commerce includes Rosales; Jennifer Langstaff, vice president; Larry Jordan, treasurer; Patricia Scoles, secretary; Scott Maggelet, director of the website and the Templeton ambassadors program; Scott Brennan, director of publicity; and Katty Coffron, director.