57.8 F
Laguna Hills
Sunday, Apr 26, 2026

Irvine Chamber Names Interim CEO

Coffaro experience includes Bank of America, Second Harvest

The Greater Irvine Chamber of Commerce announced Dave Coffaro as interim chief executive officer.

Coffaro, who is the chief operating officer of Executive Coaches of Orange County, worked at Bank of America for more than 20 years and was interim CEO of Irvine-based Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County.

“Dave’s strategic approach, financial leadership, and experience in Irvine will be instrumental in leading the Chamber forward,” said Lisa Thomas, chair, Greater Irvine Chamber Board of Directors. “We have great confidence in Dave’s ability to serve the needs of our membership and positively impact the overall business community in the greater Irvine area.”

Coffaro will oversee the Chamber as it enters its 45th year of service to the Irvine community where it says it represents the interests of 20,000 businesses.

He replaces Bryan Starr, who left about a month ago to pursue other opportunities. Starr’s LinkedIn page says he’s partner at Rialta Alliance.

The Voice of OC news website reported in January that the Orange County District Attorney’s office is asking questions about how the chamber managed the city’s hotel advertising campaign.

 

 

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

Would you like to subscribe to Orange County Business Journal?

One-Year for Only $99

  • Unlimited access to OCBJ.com
  • Daily OCBJ Updates delivered via email each weekday morning
  • Journal issues in both print and digital format
  • The annual Book of Lists: industry of Orange County's leading companies
  • Special Features: OC's Wealthiest, OC 500, Best Places to Work, Charity Event Guide, and many more!

Peter J. Brennan
Peter J. Brennan
With four decades of experience in journalism, Peter J. Brennan has built a career that spans diverse news topics and global coverage. From reporting on wars, narcotics trafficking, and natural disasters to analyzing business and financial markets, Peter’s work reflects a commitment to impactful storytelling. Peter’s association with the Orange County Business Journal began in 1997, where he worked until 2000 before moving to Bloomberg News. During his 15 years at Bloomberg, his reporting often influenced financial markets, with headlines and articles moving the market caps of major companies by hundreds of millions of dollars. In 2017, Peter returned to the Orange County Business Journal as Financial Editor, bringing his heavy business industry expertise. Over the years, he advanced to Executive Editor and, in 2024, was named Editor-in-Chief. Peter’s work has been featured in prestigious publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and he has appeared on CNN, CBC, BBC, and Bloomberg TV. A Kiplinger Fellowship recipient at The Ohio State University, he leads the Business Journal with a dedication to uncovering stories that matter and shaping the local business community and beyond.

Featured Articles

Related Articles