Costa Mesa Chamber names new chief executive after months-long leadership pause

Monday was a busy day for Scott Mikelonis, who was recently selected to serve as the chief executive of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and just hit the ground running this week.

The Irvine resident — a former executive director for Orange County-based PMP Management, which provides community management services for more than 300 homeowner associations across multiple states — was tapped last month for his background in business development and working with budgets, boards and their respective constituents.

Mikelonis said in an interview Monday he hoped to draw on his experience working with individual associations, which ranged in size from 30-unit developments to larger master planned communities comprising more than 2,600 homes, while serving Costa Mesa’s business community.

“Each association has its own board and budget — each of them is kind of like its own business,” he said of his prior experience and how it relates to his new position. “We have such unique and diverse businesses in Costa Mesa and bringing them all together is a real exciting part of stepping into this role.”

Scott Mikelonis, chief executive of the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

(Tashia Peterman)

Mikelonis brings to the role several years of experience in the hospitality industry and event planning, having worked as a cruise director for Norwegian Cruise Line and a manager with Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

“He has proven to be an effective communicator and has long been recognized throughout Southern California as a leader in helping organizations grow and meet their goals,” Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce Chair Jennifer Farrell said in a statement Monday.

“With his extensive experience, we are confident Scott will provide proactive and creative strategies to build upon the chamber’s success and continue to enhance the business community in our city.”

Mikelonis follows former Chief Executive Carla Valenzuela, who left the position in February after a little more than one year, due to a layoff, she said Tuesday, and now works as community and public relations director at San Diego’s Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma.

Chamber officials declined to comment on Valenzuela’s departure, but a spokeswoman wrote in an email Monday the organization was led by an outside management and consulting firm while the Chamber’s executive committee conducted a full search for a new chief executive.

Now, with less than a month to go before the next major event — the chamber’s 2022 Golf Tournament, featuring a Taste at the Tees, at the Costa Mesa Country Club — Mikelonis is introducing himself even as he himself is learning the ropes.

“My goal is to make sure Costa Mesa is well positioned to thrive, in all sized businesses, and really share the benefits of joining the chamber,” he said Monday.

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