Staff Overview

Chief Executive Officer: John Pivinskijohnp@pschamber.org Phone: 760-325-1577 ext. 113 Mr. Pivinski is responsible for the day to day operations of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce which includes a staff of eight and over 1,000 members. Prior to joining the Chamber in 2006, Mr. Pivinski was the executive Director of the Streeterville Chamber of Commerce in downtown Chicago . Over his four year tenure there, he increased membership, obtained a contract with the city of Chicago to fund chamber operations and increased member satisfaction and retention. In 2006, he joined the Rotary Club of Palm Springs. In his position of promoting area businesses, he tries to attend many city and local meetings to show his support and learn more about Palm Springs and its business community. He received his BS and MBA from the University of Delaware . Professional affiliations include the California Chamber, the Western Association of Chamber Executives, the Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, the Palm Springs Economic Development Corporation, the Palm Springs Hospitality Association, the Mainstreet association and many others.		Director of Member Services: Karen Pirozzi karenp@pschamber.org Phone: 760-325-1577 ext. 120 Karen came to Palm Springs 39 years ago. With a Master Degree in Special Education, Karen worked for the Riverside County Office of Education in the Coachella Valley as a teacher of the physically handicapped, program specialist, and Special Education Administrator. After 30 years, Karen retired. Before long, boredom led her to the Palm Springs Chamber and a part time job as receptionist in 2000. Over the 8 years, this job has evolved into her current position as Director of Member Services. As such she oversees the Chamber office operations and membership sales team, provides administrative support to the CEO and Board of Directors, clerical support to many Chamber committees, organizes Chamber events including breakfasts, lunches, mixers, and ribbon cuttings, and maintains personnel records. Karen is married to Vince (39 years!) and has two grown sons, Giovanni and Vincenzo. She is the proud grandma of baby grandson, Delano Vincent.
Director of Communications: Bert Kronmiller kronmiller@pschamber.org Phone: 760-325-1577 ext. 111 Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Bert moved to the Coachella Valley more than 17 years ago to accept a position with the Marketing/Public Relations Department at Desert Regional Medical Center. In 1998, he briefly served as Director of Communications with the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, before moving on to SunLine Transit Agency as Marketing Coordinator of Alternative Fuel Projects and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Coordinator. Bert has been with the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce since 2004 as Director of Communications and is responsible for public relations, graphic development, event management and editor of Business Matters. He serves as the staff liaison to the Marketing Committee, Golf Tournament Committee, Ball Fall Committee, and Business Expo Committee.
Accounting: JoAnn Burke accounting@pschamber.org Phone: 760-325-1577 ext. 117 JoAnn was born in Bakersfield, CA and was raised in So. California. Her husband, Jack moved to the desert in 1987 and she followed in 1989. JoAnn spent 25 years in banking, her last position being in Risk Management. She took early retirement in June 1997 after 1st Interstate Bank merged with Wells Fargo and she became the accountant for the Chamber in August of that same year. Joann and Jack have four children and five grandchildren. They love spending time with their family and they really enjoy cruising and visiting new places.		Membership Services Specialist: Patricia Lancaster plancaster@pschamber.org Phone: 760-325-1577 ext. 118 Patricia Lancaster has been at the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce almost 15 years. She started as a Community Relations Assistant leading to Hotel Reservations, Hotel Group Sales, Membership Development and currently Member Services Specialist. She attends college part-time. She is a 3rd generation here in Palm Springs with her grandparents being pioneers. Her grandfather Francisco Fontes was involved in building the first Palm Canyon Drive and the O’Donnell Wall overlooking the Village of Palm Springs . A history of some of the pioneers is available at the Palm Springs Historical Society titled “We Were Here Too”. Her family of two daughters, Lisa and Kristie and two granddaughters, Mya and Jasmym and mother Margaret Fontes are residents here as well. Patricia is involved with her church and serves in Childrens Ministry.
Membership Development: Bill Casey Phone: 760-325-1577, ext. 114 Cell: 567-6554 bill@pschamber.org After 15 years as a wholesale food broker with Continental foods, Bill came to the desert in 1979 and signed on with the Desert Sun Newspaper as a Purchasing Agent. He retired from that job in 1990 but after 2 months of doing nothing, he was going crazy. Along came the Chamber and they put him to work selling spaces for their business expo. The rest is history and Bill has been selling memberships in the chamber ever since. He has a wealth of knowledge of Palm Springs and continues to remain active and productive.