Chamber Director Resigns After 14 Years

Steve Rubenstein, the feisty, outspoken executive director of the Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, officially resigned Monday after 14 years of service, saying he needed a change of pace.

A tireless booster of business and development in Thousand Oaks, Rubenstein, 46, is widely credited with bolstering the chamber’s membership from 640 members to an all-time high of 1,670 during his tenure. The chamber currently has 1,200 members.

Rubenstein, a Cleveland native and former owner of an International House of Pancakes franchise, said Monday that he had been thinking for some time about stepping down as executive director.

When his brother offered him a job at his property management firm in Glendale, Rubenstein said the right opportunity had come. He notified chamber officials of his plans April 19, but the resignation was not made public until it was approved Monday by the chamber’s board of directors.

“I’ve been here for 14 years, and that’s a long time,” Rubenstein said. “I just wanted to do something different. We [the chamber] have really grown in stature, and it’s a time where we need a new direction.”

Rubenstein, who made his share of foes as well as friends during his lengthy tenure, will serve his last day in the chamber’s top post Friday. He will then take over as the head of the homeowners’ townhouse and condominium division of LRA Property Management in Glendale.

Rubenstein said he will remain a Thousand Oaks resident.

The chamber plans to conduct a search for a new director and may select an interim director. It hopes to have a replacement by the end of summer.

But Rubenstein, who has become something of a household name in Thousand Oaks, leaves some big shoes to fill, according to Judy St. John, chairwoman of the chamber’s board of directors.

“We are really going to miss him,” St. John said. “He’s been invaluable. We’ve all come to rely on him very much over the years.”