Bidding Farewell to ‘The Face’ of the North Dallas Chamber
North Dallas Chamber of Commerce senior vice president of public affairs Carol Short has retired after 33-years and essentially an entire career of service to Dallas.
Short grew up around Preston and Royal and can name the stores that were open there in the 1960s.
She worked for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, as well as former Mayor Robert S. Folsom and former state Sen. John Leedom, R-Dallas, before returning to the Preston and Royal area to work for the NDCC in 1985, where she assumed the role of vice president of public affairs.
Through the years, she ran numerous committees focusing on issues dealing with government affairs, education, small businesses, and surface transportation.
Short was “the face and the brains, as well as the institutional memory of the NDCC for so many years,” said Ken Malcolmson, NDCC president and CEO.
Issues Short advanced included LBJ Express, the program that brought rebuilt lanes, a continuous service roads system and 12.3 miles of TEXpress Lanes to LBJ Freeway and Interstate 35; and the repeal of the Wright Amendment, which had restricted the distance of flights from Dallas Love Field.
“Our community is a better place because of her significant work,” said Dallas Independent School District Trustees in a commemorative letter.
“It has been a true privilege and honor to serve, not only the neighborhood where I grew up,” Short told those at her retirement party in August. “It has been a true honor to serve North Dallas.”
Among those attending were Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings and other community leaders.
“I think Short is admirable for her humility,” said Sam Coats, chairman of DFW Airport board. “She always does her homework, but has never wanted the praise.”
U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison sent a letter praising Short. “Big shoes will be empty when yours walk out the door,” the former U.S. senator said.
But don’t expect Short to be entirely missing from the new building the NDCC moved into in March.
Despite her retirement, Short plans to remain involved in public policy and politics. She will attend candidate forums sponsored by the NDCC and League of Women Voters before the November elections and will be involved in May’s mayoral and city council contests.
Year of Change
The North Dallas Chamber of Commerce returned to Preston Center in March after a 10-month absence, which allowed for the teardown and replacement of the building it had occupied since 1979. The 800-member organization’s new home, with 5,000-square-feet, is similarly sized, but more transparent and welcoming as well as better suited for public meetings, COO Jeff Kitner said.
