Madison County Chamber 2023 | Page 6

6 MCC Business Directory and Resource Guide
CHAMBER TEAM
Clayton Whitson President / CEO
Clayton Whitson is the president and CEO of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce . He was born and raised in Madison County and graduated from Elwood High School . He then continued his education at Indiana State University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Criminology . Prior to signing on with the Chamber , Clayton served for 13 years in the public safety field , most recently with the Elwood Fire Department as a firefighter and advanced EMT . Additionally , Clayton has served terms on the Madison County Council and the Elwood Economic Development Commission and has served on several nonprofit boards , including the Ivy Tech Board of Trustees and the Leadership Academy of Madison County . Clayton and his wife , Julia , reside in Anderson .
Rachael McCracken Business Development Manager
Rachael , born and raised in Hamilton County , attended IUPUI and Ivy Tech colleges with a focus on business management and early childhood education . Following in her father ’ s entrepreneurial footsteps , Rachael started her own child care business in 2002 . Due to high demand , a second child care location was opened in 2009 . Rachael achieved national accreditation through the National Association for Family Child Care and a perfect inspection history with the State of Indiana . After 17 years in the childcare business , Rachael and her husband , Ryan , decided to move to Madison County and begin a new chapter . The friendly people , homes with character and potential , and the proximity to a vast selection of stores and restaurants attracted them to Anderson . Rachael enjoys meeting new people , learning about different businesses , facilitating connections , and promoting economic development in Madison County . Rachael and her husband Ryan have three children , a dog , and a cat .
Patty Lovins Director of Membership & Events
Patty has been a Madison County resident for 40 years and is an Anderson University alumna . After her time at AU , she began careers in both business administration and event planning . She has overseen large-scale events such as the Indianapolis Art League Gala and the Indy 500 Festival Dinner . In 2016 she joined the Madison County Chamber where she organizes , manages , and implements all events for the Chamber , as well as overseeing all internal functions of the membership base as the director of events and membership services . She is active in working alongside several local non-profit organizations in fundraising and awareness and currently serves on the board of directors for the Anderson Madison County Visitors Bureau and Friends for Paws . Patty lives in Anderson with her husband , Steve . They have three children and seven grandchildren .