Amy Blankenbiller, who had been the Kansas Chamber’s president and CEO since July 2007, left the organization last week to pursue other business opportunities, the chamber said in a statement.

Blankenbiller, a graduate of Lawrence High School and Kansas University, had led the chamber after working as a senior associate with Waterman & Associates, a governmental consulting firm in Washington, D.C.

Now serving as the chamber’s interim president and CEO is Kent Beisner, the organization’s vice president for membership and sales.

Beisner is former vice president and general manager of Jayhawk Beverage Inc. in Lawrence, Topeka and Emporia. He worked for Jayhawk Beverage from 1989 to 2008, and is a graduate of Leadership Kansas, the chamber’s leadership program.