The Greater San Antonio Chamber is losing three top staffers, including President and CEO Jeff Webster, who will retire Dec. 1.
His exit comes as Senior Vice President of Administration and Operations Joanna Weidman is moving on to a new role at the Southwest Research Institute, and Katie Ferrier, the chamber’s lead policy adviser, is starting her own consulting business.
All three are deeply seasoned public policy experts — navigating an increasingly unstable state and local policy environment.
“It’s a pressure cooker here,” Webster told the Report of the Chamber roles. “But it is 100% coincidence that we all just kind of timed out at the same time.”
Webster is a former San Antonio councilman who won a hard-fought battle for the chamber’s top role three years ago. He’s turning 66 in a few months, he said, and ready to slow down.
Ferrier is a former appropriations lobbyist and a congressional staffer who has been with the chamber since moving to San Antonio five years ago.
“I actually like hectic and chaos,” she said. “But I’m excited to have a narrower focus and more control over my schedule.”
Weidman came from a corporate background, working at NuStar Energy and Valero Energy Corporation before her time at the chamber. She’ll be overseeing communications at the Southwest Research Institute.
City Hall has also grown far more hectic since a new mayor and council took over last year, with frequent clashes between the business community and Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones.
Combine that with rapid policy changes coming from the state and federal level, and Webster said top chamber staff was frequently on the phone early in the morning or late at night responding to the latest political developments.
“We’re dealing with City Hall. We’re dealing with the county. We’re dealing with the state, feds, all of the political issues,” Webster said. “Our positions in these leadership roles — people work really hard.”
In a city with multiple robust chambers, Webster and his staff were among the few who seemed to have a line to the mayor, who he bonded with during the 2025 municipal election.
“We talk and text, and we don’t always agree,” he said of Jones. “I just promised her that it was always going to be an open dialogue — you may not always like what I’m going to say, but let’s have a fun open dialogue. She’s always committed to having a dialogue.”
Board chair Kevin C. Dinnin said Tuesday that the Greater Chamber would begin the search for Webster’s replacement, and still has plenty of talent to oversee the transition.
“San Antonio is at an important moment in its continued growth and development, and the Chamber remains firmly focused on the future,” Dinnin said in a statement. “We have a strong organization and an engaged membership. Our commitment to advocating for business, promoting economic opportunities and strengthening our community remains unchanged.”
