It's only fitting that Mary Ellen Ierardi was recently elected as chairman of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce. The longtime Clinton resident is a perfect spokesperson for "the front door to the community," a catch phrase the Chamber uses to describe itself.

Mary Ellen, who has been involved in one way or another with many organizations that make up the fabric of Clinton, is a kind, giving person who does not believe you have to be loud to get your point across. A sports enthusiast, Mary Ellen played track and field and was a basketball point guard at The Morgan School, at which she and her husband of 29 years, Mark, first met.

"We started dating when I was a senior, and here we are 29 years later, with three grown kids, 25, 22, and 21, and we still love this town," says Mary Ellen.

When her children were younger, Mary Ellen was a willing volunteer coach of girl's Park & Recreation basketball, travel basketball, and softball. And she's no stranger to the title of chairman-Mary Ellen also acted as the chairman of the Project Graduation program, working diligently to ensure that graduating seniors had one last great experience with their friends. She has been involved with countless fundraisers in town for several different causes, and she gives of herself whenever she is asked.

With motherhood a number-one priority for her, Mary Ellen says she feels very lucky to have found jobs throughout the years that allowed her to spend quality time with her family and that allowed her to attend every one of her children's athletic games.

"I worked in the Eliot School kitchen when the kids were young, which was fantastic, because I had off when they had off, and in the summer I was the camp director at Riverdale Campgrounds in town."

A firm believer that sports help kids develop goals and learn who they are and what they can be, Mary Ellen is now the manager of the Nike store at Clinton Crossing Premium Outlets. She says she loves the job because it allows her to work with young athletes. In addition, she is very proud to act as the store's community liaison as a member of the Chamber of Commerce's board for the past two years.

"I really enjoy all the people who are part of the Chamber. We do a lot for the community and have lots of fundraisers that bring businesses together to do great things for the community," says Mary Ellen. "I am very excited to be the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. It is a great way to network, and I am looking forward to making us even better. We have a great board and some very willing members who put in the time and effort to take us to the next level and make things happen. I am very excited."

However, being the Chamber's chairman is not the only thing Mary Ellen is excited about; this year is going to be quite a busy one for the mom who says she doesn't like the quiet of her house now that her kids are grown.

"I still haven't gotten used to cooking for just two of us," she laughs, confessing that she still cooks in bulk and shares leftovers with her employees at Nike.

This year, Mary Ellen's older daughter, Jacqueline, is getting married; her middle daughter, Maria, is graduating from Southern Connecticut State University, and her son, Scott, is turning 21.

"It really does go by quickly," says Mary Ellen, who feels fortunate she brought her children up in a shoreline town like Clinton. "It's beautiful here and we love the beach, but my favorite place in the world is Cape Cod. My husband's family has a house there that we visit every summer, and I think eventually that is where we would like to retire to; it's so beautiful."

For now, though, Mary Ellen isn't going anywhere. Instead, this independent, goal-oriented, quietly effective chairman is on track to lead the Chamber into the future the same way she has led her children and her staff.

"You just have to walk away from every day knowing you did the best you can," she says.