Vice president of the Cullman City School Board Joey Orr announced that she will be stepping away from her role in the school system and taking over the broader community position of acting president of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.

While reading her resignation letter to the board on Tuesday, June 13, Orr shared how it had been “an honor and a privilege” to serve as a board member for the past seven years and described the move as a “bittersweet” decision.

“I’ve learned and grown alongside the students alongside the students who we support and represent. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the other board members that have served with me over the years,” Orr said. She continued to describe her excitement to step into her new position with the chamber.

“Chamber president is a public position, representing all of Cullman County. I want to dedicate my time to accomplish and exceed the goals of the chamber. Therefore, I need to step away from the city school board to pursue this career.”

Following Orr’s announcement, Superintendent Kyle Kallhoff motioned to adopt a resolution as a way to officially honor her time spent on the board. In the resolution, Kallhoff noted how Orr had helped the board weather several tumultuous time periods for the system.

“In her seven years of service, Ms. Orr helped navigate the Cullman City school system through administration changes, the pandemic of 2020 and the beginning of construction and renovations on the campuses of Cullman Middle School and Cullman Primary School. … Mrs. Orr brought an educator’s perspective to the table, was fair and viewed issues with a lens of equity.”

Kallhoff also shared from his personal experiences with Orr which, he felt, provided evidence as to why she is well suited for the chamber position.

“Three years ago when we decided as a family to move to Cullman, you were on of the first people who reached out to my wife to say, ‘Here are the doctors, here’s the community, here’s this and here’s that.’ So, when I heard that you [Orr] were possibly taking the position with the chamber, I thought ‘How appropriate,’ and I’m just excited as a citizen of Cullman,” Kallhoff said.

Chamber board chair Ben Harrison also released a statement echoing Kallhoff’s sentiment and shared the reasons the group felt Orr made for a welcomed addition.

“The board feels Joey’s leadership, relationship building and small business skills translate well to the role leading the Chamber. The board has confidence in her ability to continue the path in order to make the Cullman area the best place to live, work and do business,” Harrison said.

At the recommendation of board member Jason Neal, Chris Branham was elected to replace Orr as acting vice president of the school board effective immediately. Orr will also be vacating her seat as a board member beginning June 30. The board has announced its intentions to appoint a replacement by the end of July, who will serve out the remainder of Orr’s current term through 2025.