Cox resigns as Gonzales Chamber executive director

Gonzales Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture executive director Brad Cox has submitted his resignation from the position he has held since last June.

Cox’s last official day with the Chamber will be Wednesday, May 11. He notified the Chamber board of his intent on Wednesday, April 27.

He said he and his wife, Lisa, will be relocating back to Georgia and he wanted to make sure the Chamber was able to hire a replacement for him as soon as possible.

“Come and Take It will be here before we know it and I wanted to make sure they are able to get someone on board who can help them get ready for our biggest event of the year,” Cox said. “We have some things going on right now with family and we have made the decision it is best for my family, myself and for the Chamber for us to move (back to Georgia).”

Cox praised Chamber administrative assistant Martha Jimenez and said her presence will be beneficial as Come and Take It approaches.

“That’s a big feather in the cap already for the Chamber is that Martha already worked Come and Take It last year and she knows what needs to be done to make it successful,” Cox said. “She is a very hard worker and does a fantastic job for us.”

Cox said he is “a phone call away” if Martha or his replacement need help in making sure 2022 Come and Take It — which this year will be Sept 30 through Oct. 2 — is where it needs to be.

Prior to taking over the position as executive director, Cox worked for the Chamber as its tourism coordinator and administrative assistant for a year and a half, getting hired on amidst the COVID-19 pandemic which made holding Come and Take It impossible until last fall. However, last year was not Cox’s first time experiencing Come and Take It.

His maternal grandfather, Robert Boothe, was the Gonzales County Clerk from 1947 until his death in 1969, while his maternal grandmother Florence taught seventh grade English in Gonzales for three decades.

His maternal great-great grandparents, George Jefferson and Mary Ann Jones Boothe, were vital to starting the pecan industry locally more than 100 years ago. Cox went to many Come and Take It celebrations during his youth and then again when he and Lisa moved to Gonzales in 2018 to help run the family’s pecan orchards south of town.