Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce director dedicates more than a decade of service to the community

For almost 12 years Sheryl Smedley, director of the Selma and Dallas County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Information, has been serving the Selma and Dallas County area. She has received numerous awards and recognitions for her work within the community.

The Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama awarded Smedley the Distinguished Service Award in 2020 for completing at least 10 years of service in the profession of chamber management.

Smedley said being willing to be a servant of the community is necessary to do her job successfully.

“It’s being a servant to people in the community,” she said. “We connect people, we inform, we advocate, we develop, and we promote, and all that connects with being a servant.”

Smedley said the chamber works as a resource to people in the community and even more so now during the pandemic.

“People call here asking where can they get assistance and wanting to know who they can call, and that’s where we’re an information center,” she said.

Not only does Smedley works professionally for Selma and Dallas County, she also volunteers in the community on her free time.

Smedley serves as a volunteer tour guide for Sturdivant Hall and volunteers for the City of Selma Recreation Department’s ceramic program.

For her work in the community, Smedley was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Department of the Army for outstanding contributions to the City of Selma and Dallas County in 2011, she was the June 2011 recipient of the Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds, recipient of the National Council of Negro Women Inc., in 2013.

She was later rewarded the Selma-Dallas County Section Community Service Award. In 2016, AL.com recognized Smedley and 30 other women throughout the state for their contributions to the community. 

Smedley is also the 2019 recipient of the Selma Chapter of The Links, Inc. Distinguished Citizens Award given at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unity Breakfast.