Washington, D.C. (Map, News) - It was a year of change for the Greater Washington Board of Trade. The regional organization installed a new president and CEO, who subsequently eliminated several top management positions in an effort to restructure and refocus the more than 100-year-old Board of Trade.

“We had a need for position eliminations so that we could match the resources with the needs,” said Jim Dinegar, who took over as president and CEO of the organization in July. “We were somewhat top-heavy in the administration of the place and then we were short-handed in other areas.”

The long-time Washington resident and former chief operating officer of The American Institute for Architects said the restructuring — which including eliminating the chief financial officer and chief operating officer positions, as well as two vice presidents — will allow the Board of Trade to refocus and redouble its effort on key issues.

The issues for 2007? Transportation and emergency preparedness. In the past, Dinegar said, the Board of Trade has spread itself too thin, focusing on a range of issues from health care to technology transfer. The coming year will focus on the two key regional issues the Board is best equipped to handle, he said.

“[The point] is not to change our mission, but to focus,” Dinegar said. “You lay all of [the issue] out and you realize you can’t do all of them. If you can’t do a very good job, you need to take another look ... and [transportation and emergency preparedness] are the two core issues that are foremost in the minds of our members.”

The Board of Trade will spend much of 2007 lobbying for billions in dedicated Metro funding.

“[Traffic] is steadily getting worse. The commutes are longer. The frustrations are growing,” Dinegar said. “[We’ll] be lobbying hard to get the $3 billion over 10 years in dedicated funding so they don’t need to live hand-to-mouth.”

In addition, the Board will dedicate more time and budget to networking and educational programs for its members. Dinegar expects to hire four or five new employees in the new year to accomplish his goals, including an additional event planner.

kwilmeth@dcexaminer.com