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Local chamber leader to head multi-state group Brad Hicks speaks at a conference in Los Angeles. Submitted photo. Friday Feb 3, 2017 at 10:24 AM Feb 3, 2017 at 12:10 PM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness Local chamber of commerce leader Brad Hicks is in line to head the Western Association of Chamber Executives board in 2018. Hicks, the veteran CEO and president of The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, was voted chair-elect Thursday by an assembly of nearly 600 delegates at the organization's annual meeting in Los Angeles. He will become chairman a year from now in Las Vegas. Hicks will oversee the nominating committee and lead a 2018 goal-setting session next October in Sacramento, where the group will establish its priorities during his one-year term. WACE is an educational and professional development organization, representing more than 800 chamber leaders in 17 Western states and Canadian provinces. Hicks will coordinate the June WACE political bootcamp in San Francisco. He played a similar role in Denver last year. "We bring in a variety of experts on political advocacy from local level to national level," Hicks said. "It ranges from legal issues to grassroots to advocacy. They're people from around country who have done everything from managing presidential campaigns to demonstrating how to fix streets in your community." The organization's 2017 chairman, Pat Patrick of Lodi, California, is pursuing efforts to incorporate millennials and young professionals into its ranks. "They've been surveying members, former members, and nonmembers to get an idea on what chambers should be focusing on into the future," Hicks said. "Ultimately, we're digging into the interests, wants and needs of the next generation of business owners to find out what they might expect from chambers of commerce." He envisions a renaissance of local emphasis. "It can be argued that chambers pioneered the notion of buying and sourcing locally," Hicks said. "Chambers are uniquely positioned to continue to be a strong voice for business, but we have to adapt and recognize the way we do things and communicate the work is evolving."   — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @GregMTBusiness.