Kim Baker who began work with the Gallatin Area Chamber of Commerce in November 2013 and was named CEO in February 2015.
Calling Gallatin home since 2000, Kim is always proud to share that she’s a Knight, Green Wave, Pioneer, Vol, AND Blue Raider! After finishing at Vol State, she headed down the road to become a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Communication as well as University of University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, where she obtained her Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCEcD) designation. Additionally, Kim completed the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives Institute as well as four years of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute, earning the designation “IOM”. In 2022, Kim became a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Leads Fellow, after completing a fellowship focused on pressing education and workforce challenges nationwide. Earlier this year, Kim became one of the first Chamber leaders in the state to earn the Tennessee Certified Chamber Executive designation.
Kim is a graduate of Leadership Middle Tennessee, Leadership Sumner, Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee’s Transit Citizen Leadership Academy, and serves as a co-coordinator for Leadership Gallatin, launched in 2019.
Kim currently serves as a Girl Scout leader for Gallatin’s newest troop #1882, as a board member for the United Way of Sumner County, Young Life of Sumner County, Gallatin Shalom Zone, Volunteer State Community College Foundation, and Recovery Court of Sumner County.
Kim considers herself to be a lifelong learner, valuing the importance of education in our community, and enjoys serving on the Career and Technical Education Advisory Panels at her alma mater, Gallatin High School, and also Station Camp High School. As an alumna of Pope John Paul II Preparatory School, too, she is proud to serve as a member of their recently developed Innovation Advisory Team.
Kim was named Leadership Sumner’s Alumni of the year in 2019, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives’s Top 40 under 40 in 2021, and Pope John Paul II Preparatory School’s Mentor of the Year in 2023.
Prior to joining the Chamber team, Kim spent many years in the service industry tending bar as well as working as a nanny for local families. Because of this, Kim still enjoys free-lance bartending and working with children. Sometimes, you can find her and her husband serving as “local celebrity” bartenders at fundraisers where they donate their time and she considers some of her best days when she’s invited to read to local kiddos!
Kim is a Wonder Woman enthusiast who almost always has a coffee in-hand, loves Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, has a niche for event planning, and is passionate about small business as well as local growth and development. When Kim is not spreading the local love around Gallatin, she enjoys spending time just about anywhere with her history-lovin’ husband, Ryan, Eagle Scout bonus son, Hayden, and wild, redheaded daughter, Annlyn Graham. Add their wild hound dog, Georgia, to the mix, and you can officially say Gallatin, Tennessee has a circus!
