Photo by Erin Nelson Sweeney.
Virginia Grisham, the new Mountain Brook Junior Board president, stands by the window at Grisham Tolbert Interiors.
Since 2019, the Mountain Brook Junior Board has gathered young professionals together to make a positive impact on their community.
The Junior Board is part of the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce and serves to promote the city’s businesses, community and quality of life by bringing support and awareness to all things local.
Emily Jensen, the executive director for the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce, said that the Junior Board was developed to encourage volunteerism and community involvement among young professionals who live or work in Mountain Brook.
“The group has grown annually and does a great job of supporting our community,” Jensen said. The Junior Board collaborates with the Chamber of Commerce and hosts their annual fall event, Thursday Night Live, which raises funds and awareness for local causes.
Virginia Grisham, a partner with Grisham Tolbert Interiors, recently became the new Junior Board president. A lifelong resident of Mountain Brook, she worked as an interior designer at Ruby Ansley Interiors before founding Grisham Tolbert Interiors with her friend Eleanor Tolbert.
Grisham has many ties to Mountain Brook, and owning a business is apparently a family tradition: her aunt, uncle and cousin also have businesses in the city.
“Working in Mountain Brook for the past eight years has shown me how even more amazing our community is,” Grisham said. “The support we receive from the citizens, chamber staff, mayor, police department, fire department, is truly amazing. They check on us and in the process make you feel like what you are doing is important to this community and will do anything to help you succeed.”
Grisham said she was honored to be nominated by her fellow chamber board members as president. Other leadership positions she has held include serving for Preschool Partners, Antiques at the Gardens, Ballet Guild of Birmingham, and the Junior League of Birmingham. She also serves as a deacon at Independent Presbyterian Church.
Some of the responsibilities she will have as president include supervising the general affairs of the Junior Board and serving as the liaison to the Mountain Brook Chamber Board of Directors. She and her fellow board members will generate more opportunities for community involvement, including supporting local businesses and causes.
Their new initiative, the Chamber Ambassadors, held their first meeting in January. Made up of city, civic and business leaders, the group will supplement the work of the chamber each year by serving as representatives in the community.
“We wanted to find a way to engage new volunteers from varied backgrounds who have a passion for service and can bring a fresh perspective to our organization,” Jensen said. “Our Chamber Ambassadors are already proving to be a tremendous asset to our organization, and in the future we would love to expand this program and utilize their vast experiences to help us tailor what we do to serve our members.”
The Junior Board now includes almost 40 members, and the inaugural class of the Chamber Ambassadors consisted of 14 members. Jensen said she is “excited about their ideas, enthusiasm and commitment to the community.”
As the new president, Grisham is also enthusiastic about what the Chamber Ambassadors and the Junior Board will bring to Mountain Brook.
“I am looking forward to this year and seeing what our board can do,” she said.
