The Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce expects to start a national search this week for a new president and CEO.

Skip Peterson, chairman of the chamber's board of directors, says the organization hopes to have a new leader selected late this year and to have that person start work at the beginning of 2012.

The chamber already has received a handful of resumes from interested parties who have heard about the opening via word of mouth, says Peterson, who owns Devin Galleries in downtown Coeur d'Alene with his wife, Deb. This week, however, the organization's search committee will begin advertising the opening throughout the U.S. and identifying qualified applicants.

The organization's previous CEO, Todd Christensen, left his post in late July "to pursue other interests," a release from the chamber says. He had worked in that position since 2009, when he replaced Jonathan Coe, who had served as the chamber's CEO for 10 years. Coe left the Coeur d'Alene chamber to become president and CEO of the Santa Rosa, Calif., Chamber of Commerce.

Shortly after announcing Christensen's departure, the Coeur d'Alene chamber named Steve Wilson as the organization's interim president and CEO. Wilson had served as chairman of the chamber's board before Peterson while working as general manager of the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn. He left the Coeur d'Alene Inn earlier this year.

Peterson says Wilson hasn't yet applied to fill the position permanently, but he will be considered by the board if he chooses to do so.

"Steve is looking at it, and he will be invited to apply for the position," Peterson says.

Located at 105 N. First in downtown Coeur d'Alene, the chamber has 15 full- and part-time employees.

It currently has about 1,200 members, the bulk of whom are in Kootenai County, Peterson says, though it also has members in Eastern Washington, Western Montana, and elsewhere in North Idaho.