Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce President Savannah Winslow says, after her first year on the job, she’s settled in and making way for progress.
“I think that my [management] style comes from my heart,” she said. “And where my heart is, is community. We all want to come together to further Elizabeth City and make it a great place to live, visit, and have economic development. My mission is to really dig into the sense of community and what that looks like for everyone.”
Winslow was speaking during episode 25 of The Daily Advance’s podcast, “Voices of the Albemarle.”
Winslow took over as new Chamber president and CEO in July 2025 after succeeding longtime president Anya Davis. Winslow likened her adjustment to her new role as “imposter syndrome.”
“That is something I hear a lot of, you know, specifically women CEOs, presidents, leadership roles,” she said. “They struggle with [that] because, you know, you’re picked, chosen for this role. And it’s so important and so much is riding on it that when I first came in, I was like, ‘oh my gosh, I don’t know if I can do this.’”
Winslow persisted in her new job and the community’s support and embrace encouraged her to have an open mind.
“Going in with the mindset of this is my first year, you know, I’m not expected to know everything,” she said. “But if I go in with an open heart and willingness to learn, that’s what has really carried me. Anya and just the community leaders really, really invested in me and helped me through that because they said, ‘no, you have been chosen for this. We know you’re young, we know that you’re still figuring it out.’”
Winslow grew up in Jamestown, Virginia, but spent most weekends and summers with her father and grandfather in Hertford. That instilled a love for the area that inspired her to move back during COVID.
“I actually grew up here part-time,” Winslow said. “I called it my little vacation house. My dad lived in Perquimans. I’m a Winslow, and there’s a lot of Perquimans Winslows out there.”
Winslow moved away to attend college in New York City. During COVID she moved back and took a job at the Edenton Inn.
Winslow worked at the Inn before moving on. In 2022 she became the events specialist at Visit Elizabeth City and found herself growing a stronger connection with the community. She found mentorship in many of the longtime residents of the area, including Davis.
“I didn’t really know anyone and I was working on these events, you know, always running around with balloons,” Winslow said. “I would get a call from Anya, and she’d say, ‘you know, you should really come to our event tonight. I would go and I would really plug into the Chamber and I would meet so many wonderful leaders of our community. It really set me up for those connections to further my professional development and meet people and just create that sense of community.”
As Davis’ retirement neared, she encouraged Winslow to apply for the Chamber role.
“It was a difficult process, you know, for the board,” Winslow said. “They had a lot of different rounds of interviews that they had to go through. And I was just so blessed to have really felt like it was the right time.”
Now that she’s settled into her role, she feels confident in her ability to lead the business area into a new era.
“Our mission now is to support you and advocate for your business. We try to listen, active listening to what [businesses] need,” Winslow said. “Something that I’m focused on right now is collaborating with other Chambers.”
To hear more about Winslow’s first year, the future, and her love of the community, check out “Voices of the Albemarle” episode 25. All episodes are streaming through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and the podcast’s Buzzsprout page at https://voicesofthealbemarle.buzzsprout.com.