The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce installed a new board of directors and gave Genevieve Morrill the sendoff she earned at the same breakfast, closing one chapter and opening another in a single morning.
Raja Sannidhi of Capitol Drugs was installed as the new board chair at the Chamber’s Annual Member Meeting and Board Installation — known as the AMMBI — held March 5 at the Andaz Hotel. The event also included the presentation of the Ray Reynolds Award to Genevieve Morrill, the former President and CEO who led the organization for nearly two decades.
Morrill spoke emotionally while accepting the award. “It’s really in my heart, West Hollywood.”
Morrill worked in the City of West Hollywood for over two decades, serving as Chamber President and CEO since 2009. “This city has given me a rich and extraordinary career and even more than that it has given me friends and an extended family.”
The Ray Reynolds Award is presented by the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in honor of Ray Reynolds, who served as the City of West Hollywood’s first economic development director. Morrill had worked closely with Reynolds in her early years while serving as Vice President of the Pacific Design Center under Charles Cohen.
Morrill then tossed the script. She talked about championing small business, surviving two recessions, fighting the whack-a-mole of business closures, and advocating for the West Hollywood business community before government leaders. She credited the Chamber with helping create legislation that directly impacted local businesses, and with opposing measures it believed were harmful.
“The battles were fierce, but we persevered and our Chamber became recognized as a leader and known as a voice for business on a regional level — and you should all be very proud of that.”
Morrill concluded, “I’m almost done you guys,” [to laughter].
“West Hollywood is bold, it’s opinionated, it’s creative, it’s passionate, occasionally chaotic, and sometimes toxic — and always resilient, as is our business community that makes it thrive. I loved every minute of it. Well, not every minute of it — let’s be honest, some of this shit I would bury out in the desert. Thanks for the honor, thanks for the journey, thanks to Ray for setting the standards of leadership and grace.”
The audience rose to its feet. She could feel the love. 
Sannidhi takes over a Chamber that Morrill built into a recognized regional voice for business. He is joined on the executive committee by Stephanie Cohen of Cedars-Sinai as First Vice Chair, Jay Handal of The Woods as CFO, and Mark Lehman as Secretary. The full board of directors is listed on the Chamber’s website.
The Women’s Advisory Board will present the inaugural Genevieve Morrill Leadership Award later this month as part of Women’s History Month in the City of West Hollywood.
Related Coverage
• West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Elects New Board of Directors | WEHOonline
• Genevieve Morrill Steps Down as West Hollywood Chamber CEO | WEHOonline
• West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Marks 100 Years | WEHOonline
The Chamber leaders and businesses are hardworking folks who contribute the lion’s share of revenue for West Hollywood to improve the quality of life for its citizens and visitors. We owe them all a debt of gratitude and support as they move forward through the good times and times of economic challenges. Thank you to Gen and the Board as the work continues on under the new Chamber leadership of Len Lanzi.