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Meet the newest Certified Chamber Executives
Eleven chamber of commerce leaders from eight states have recently joined an elite roster of professionals who have earned the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) designation.
Since the first CCE designation was conferred some 40 years ago, more than 500 chamber professionals have become certified. More than 250 people have an active certification today.
ACCE celebrated this year’s Certified Chamber Executives — Steve Baas, Marvin Bond, Lisa Hermes, Tony Howard, Jamee Jolly, Christine Kennedy, Sandra Lindquist, Roy Nascimento, Lynn Olberding, Jodie Perry and Erin Williams — in Des Moines at the #ACCEAwards Show on Wednesday, July 18.
“The CCE program assesses and tests the applicant's knowledge of core chamber management areas —management, planning and development, membership and communication, and operations,” says Bob Quick, CCE, president and CEO of Commerce Lexington Inc. and 2017-18 CCE commission chairman. “Chamber professionals who are designated CCEs have rightfully earned this outstanding recognition through hard work, countless hours of dedication to their field, and leadership of their chamber to achieve the chamber’s goals. We are proud to have this year’s class join a long tradition of professional excellence.”
Congratulations, from your friends at ACCE!
Steve Baas, CCE
Senior Vice President for Governmental Affairs & Public Policy
Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce
Milwaukee, Wis.
Marvin Bond, CCE
Vice President of Investor Relations
Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce
Irving, Texas
Lisa Hermes, CCE
President & CEO
McKinney Chamber of Commerce
McKinney, Texas
Tony Howard, CCE
President & CEO
Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce
Leesburg, Va.
Jamee Jolly, CCE
President & CEO
Plano Chamber of Commerce
Plano, Texas
Christine Kennedy, CCE
COO and Executive Vice President
Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance
Lynchburg, Va.
Sandra Lindquist, CCE
Executive Vice President & COO
New Orleans Chamber
New Orleans, La.
Roy Nascimento, CCE
President & CEO
North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Fitchburg, Mass.
Lynn Olberding, CCE
Executive Director
Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce
Marshalltown, Iowa
Jodie Perry, CCE
President
Richland Area Chamber of Commerce
Mansfield, Ohio
Erin Williams, CCE
President & CEO
O'Fallon Chamber of Commerce & Industries
O'Fallon, Mo.
Learn more about the Certified Chamber Executive designation and meet our CCE Commissioners.
Congratulations, Chamber(s) of the Year
Last week at the annual #ACCEAwards Show, nearly one-thousand community-builders gathered at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines to celebrate winners of many special awards, including Chamber of the Year.
Sponsored by MemberClicks, Chamber of the Year is the most prestigious and competitive award presented by ACCE and is the only globally-recognized industry award that honors top chambers of commerce for exemplary work.
Category One
Des Moines Downtown Chamber
Des Moines, Iowa
Synopsis 1: Leadership Education and Advancement Pipeline (LEAP)
Synopsis 2: Downtown DIG (Development Insights Group) Program
Category Two
Round Rock Chamber
Round Rock, Texas
Synopsis 1: Implementing the Workforce Realization Occurring Cooperatively Strategy
Synopsis 2: Implementing the REV UP Round Rock Strategy
Category Three
Plano Chamber of Commerce
Plano, Texas
Synopsis 1: Business Center & New Chamber Facility
Synopsis 2: Public Policy and Advocacy
Category Four
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce
North Charleston, S.C.
Synopsis 1: Bridging the Talent Gap
Synopsis 2: Local Area Chambers
State/Province Category
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Synopsis 1: Manufacturing in Hawaii Initiative
Synopsis 2: 2017 Hawaii on the Hill
This year's competition drew entries from chambers throughout the U.S. and Canada. To ensure the fairest competition, applicants are grouped into five categories based on: annual revenue, membership, area population, and several other factors.
Learn more about Chamber of the Year here.
Tags: Chamber of the Year, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Des Moines Downtown Chamber, MemberClicks, Plano Chamber of Commerce, Round Rock Chamber of Commerce, #ACCEAwards, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Congratulations, Best in Show winners
ACCE’s Awards for Communications Excellence, sponsored by Golden Openings, Inc., celebrate top-notch marketing work that effectively communicates policy work, the accomplishments of the chamber of commerce, community advancement and economic development initiatives, membership attraction and retention, events and more.
The top three entries — one from each size category — are presented the Best in Show award.
At the #ACCEAwards Show in Des Moines, Iowa, on July 18, three organizations — Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (S.C.), Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce (Mo.) and Champaign County Chamber of Commerce (Ill.) — were recognized as this year’s Best in Show winners.
Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce: Quarterly Report Series
Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce: Springfield Region Digital Brochure
Champaign County Chamber of Commerce: Chamber Zone
Judges of this year’s Communications Excellence awards selected one entry — submitted by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce (Neb.) — to receive a specially-created recognition called the “Total Eclipse” award. The entry was honored for its creative execution and attention-grabbing results for the advertising surrounding the Great Solar Eclipse in 2017, which included various signs scattered throughout Lincoln in August 2017.
Lincoln Chamber of Commerce: Eclipse Seasonal Signs
In addition to celebrating winners of the Best in Show and Total Eclipse awards, Grand Award winners took to the stage and Awards of Excellence winners were recognized. (Check out this blog post, where we announced Grand Award and Award of Excellence winners.)
Tags: #ACCE18, #ACCEAwards, Champaign County Chamber of Commerce, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, Communications, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Marketing, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce
Keefer to be named board chair
Nancy Keefer, CCE, president and CEO of the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, will be named chair of ACCE’s board of directors during the organization’s annual meeting July 18.
“Nancy has been a long-time leader within our association and across the entire chamber industry,” said outgoing ACCE board chair Jay Chesshir, president and CEO of the Little Rock Regional Chamber. “She is the perfect leader to guide ACCE over the next year as it implements a new strategic plan to strengthen the industry and showcase the positive impact chambers have in communities across the country.”
ACCE is a professional development organization serving the women and men who lead local, regional and statewide chambers of commerce and similar private sector-led economic development organizations around the world. The Alexandria, Va.-based association represents nearly 10,000 professionals who work for and with more than 1,300 chambers of commerce.
ACCE board chairs serve one-year terms, and Keefer’s term will span July 2018 through July 2019. In this role, she will oversee activities of a 70-member board of directors that provides leadership and strategic direction to the association’s 30-person staff.
“I’m honored to chair an organization that focuses on providing chamber professionals with the tools, tactics and research necessary to help businesses grow and communities prosper,” Keefer said. “ACCE has meant a great deal to me throughout my career, and the work we are undertaking now will empower chamber leaders to create meaningful change in the communities they serve.”
A recognized leader in the profession, Keefer is a 30-year chamber veteran, having worked in leadership roles at the Chemung County Chamber, Bonita Springs Area Chamber, Chester County Chamber and Daytona Regional Chamber. Keefer received her Certified Chamber Executive designation from ACCE in 2006. She has served on the ACCE board of directors for 10 years, and she currently serves on the U.S. Chamber’s Committee of 100. She is immediate past chair of the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals, and she previously chaired the Pennsylvania Association of Chamber Professionals.
