The Lawrence Chamber of Commerce’s economic-development roster is thinning once again.

Heather Ackerly, director of business retention and expansion programs, left the chamber this week to help coordinate Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s ongoing fund-raising campaign.

“This position poses new challenges for me, and it allows me to continue working for Lawrence and the citizens of Douglas County,” Ackerly said Tuesday, already in the office at LMH’s Endowment Assn.

Ackerly had started at the chamber in October 2004 as manager of existing business programs, and her responsibilities grew as other members of the team left before her: Alicia Janesko as director of economic development and, late last year, Lynn Parman as vice president for economic development.

Janesko’s departure trimmed the staff from four to three, in a department with a $600,000 budget and responsibility for guiding the community’s business-attraction, job-creation and development-promoting efforts. The department is financed by the chamber, Lawrence City Commission and Douglas County Commission.

Beth Johnson, who took over for Parman a month ago as vice president for economic development, said the chamber would accept applications for the post through Friday. No timeline has been set for having the job filled.

Johnson emphasized that the programs Ackerly had overseen – including the surveying of leaders at existing businesses – would continue as a replacement is sought.

“Everything’s a challenge,” Johnson said. “It’s a challenge to start from scratch, but it’s great to have my own team.”

The chamber also is looking to hire a director for its Leadership Lawrence program. The interim director is Sue Hack, a Lawrence city commissioner who took over after longtime director Nancy Longhurst resigned last year.

Pat Flavin, chamber chairman, acknowledged that such employee departures had led to speculation that there might be a problem with the “work environment or the company culture” at the chamber.

No way, he said.

“It would be easy for those to sit back and just go: ‘Gosh, you guys have really got a problem. You can’t retain people there,'” said Flavin, who noted that board members had examined the situation “extremely closely” and determined that all is well.

“Ironically, we hire very good people,” he said. “They learn a lot. They’re mentored well. And it’s an interesting dilemma we find ourselves in: that they become very hirable and very attractive to other employers.”

At LMH, Ackerly is working to help raise money for a hospital expansion project. The campaign, which already has secured $4.4 million of its $8 million goal, formally ends May 6 but will be expected to continue at least through August.