Ali Rauch, CCE, IOM's Linkedin Analytics

My pal Chat told me... "I am a high-achieving, community-rooted force of nature with a bias toward action and an obsession with excellence. My strength is my ability to turn chaos into clarity and vision into reality.", and I have to say... I AGREE. Wow. Spot on! To take it even further, I’m a builder, a brand strategist, and a relentless optimist who thrives at the intersection of vision and execution. As President & CEO of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, I’ve spent the last five years turning bold ideas into real impact. Together with an exceptional team, we've achieved some of the industry’s highest honors—including being named the 2024 ACCE Chamber of the Year and earning 5-Star Accreditation through the U.S. Chamber. We’ve raised over $3 million for Forward Opelika, launched a complete brand overhaul, and delivered record-breaking campaigns that have reshaped how our Chamber serves this growing, dynamic community. Before chamber life, I worked in marketing, franchising, software, manufacturing, and higher education—most notably spending eight years as Director of Marketing for Chicken Salad Chick, helping grow the brand from a small startup to 160+ locations across the country. That experience shaped how I lead today: with an entrepreneurial mindset, a bias for action, and an obsession with delivering real results. I’ve been honored to participate in national leadership programs like the U.S. Chamber’s Business Leads Fellowship, ACCE’s Economic Mobility Fellowship, and the Alabama Leadership Initiative. Locally, I am a graduate of 20 under 40 and Leadership Lee County. I’m also proud to hold the IOM designation from the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management. In a few weeks, I hope to add "CCE" (Certified Chamber Executive) to that list. But here’s what really drives me: I believe leadership is about energy, not ego. I want to work with people who show up, give 110%, and genuinely care—about the work, about the mission, and about each other. I lead with high standards, a strategic mind, and a full heart. What you see is what you get - authenticity, vulnerability the real me. Originally from Illinois, I proudly call Opelika, Alabama home. I followed love to the South when my husband Todd chose Auburn University after his military career, and we’ve planted deep roots here ever since. I'm a woman of strong faith, an avid reader, pilates-goer, former drag racer, and die-hard Auburn Tigers fan, and proud Green Bay Packers shareholder (Go Pack Go!). After the Lord, I love my husband most of all, and our new puppy Liberty!