Chamber hires director of marketing and communications

Longboat Key Chamber of Commerce President Gail Loefgren is getting some help.

While Loefgren is still looking for a full-time executive assistant, the Chamber has hired Christine Rothberg as its director of marketing and communications.

“I get to use my experience as a marketing communications person, and really turn the role into a dual role, which is first connecting the visitors and residents to Longboat Key life and the resources,” Rothberg said. “And, also marketing support for the members, as well as networking opportunities for them within the membership.”

Rothberg, 51, will assist the Chamber in the part-time role with social media endeavors, email communication, flyers, invitations and more. She also has worked as a marketing consultant for the Sand Cay Beach Resort since September 2019, which is a role she will continue.

“It’s rolling with the punches,” Rothberg said of her two roles. “It’s a lot of being flexible.”

From September 2016-September 2019, Rothberg worked as a marketing manager for the Casa Del Mar Beach Resort on Longboat Key. She has also held marketing and communications roles with Suffolk University Law School, Boston College, the Curry Rockefeller Group and PlexiDor Dog Doors.

Rothberg holds a bachelor of arts degree in English and marketing from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

In Rothberg’s new role with the Chamber, she explained how her previous experience and skillset will help.

“Anyone can say, ‘Oh, I have great marketing, communication skills. I have great writing skills. I can do a website. I have strong PR skills,’ but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the attitude,” Rothberg said. “Why I think this suits me is because I am very outgoing by nature, and every day I get to really meet different kinds of people.”

The Westchester, New York, native has called Bradenton home since 2011. Rothberg said she moved to be closer to her parents, who live on Longboat Key.

In 2018, Rothberg and her husband Benjamin were married at Zota Beach Resort. While the familiarity is comforting, Rothberg mentioned the importance of staying focused.

“I have priorities and I need to stay organized, and that’s what’s really important about this job,” Rothberg said. “Luckily for me, a lot of it is interrelated.”

Specifically, she hopes to help spread awareness about the Chamber; increase membership acquisition; improve the user experience on the Chamber’s website; and fulfill visitors’ and residents’ needs.

“We’re always trying to make sure that everything is updated,” Rothberg said of the Chamber members. “That’s really my job is to make sure that their information is in here, and they’re being looked at.”

Outside of work, Rothberg said she enjoys traveling, but it’s been hard with the pandemic. For three years in the 1980s, she lived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Rothberg’s travels also include celebrating a birthday at the Mount Kenya Safari Club and celebrating another birthday in Luxor, Egypt. Her favorite city in the world is Istanbul, Turkey.

“It is the most fascinating city in the world. I love it,” Rothberg said. “It’s like a perfect storm of different cultures like Christianity, Judaism, Muslim and it’s like there’s just so many different types of things going on. It’s a beautiful city. There’s so much to do.”

Rothberg also enjoys watching her beloved New York Yankees with her family.

“It’s something I share with them,” Rothberg said.