Alexandria, Virginia– (August 15, 2011) – The American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE) (www.acce.org) presented Art Roberts, CCE, former senior vice president of the Texas Association of Business, with a Life Member Award, the chamber of commerce profession’s highest honor. The award was presented to Roberts at ACCE’s national convention, held this year in Los Angeles, Ca., on August 4. The Life Member Award recognizes decades of management excellence, community leadership and unselfish commitment to the betterment of the industry.
“Art is a rare individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to his profession and to the communities he has served,” says Mick Fleming, ACCE president. “His dedication to progress throughout decades of chamber and community leadership positions, in addition to the guidance and experience he has provided ACCE, deserve our most sincere thanks and highest recognition.”
Historically called “Honorary Member,” the pinnacle award is earned by those who retire after outstanding careers in chamber leadership. The current “Life Member” title recognizes both the lifetime of success in the chamber profession as well as the member-for-life status granted to each honoree.
Art Roberts has served the chamber profession for 41 years. Within that time he led four chambers of commerce, headed a state chamber executives association, facilitated more than 500 planning retreats for local chamber boards and associations, and wrote two books—one was required reading at the U.S. Chamber Institute for 11 years.
After a distinguished half-career running strong Texas chambers in Lamesa, Edinburg, Odessa and El Paso, Art went to work for the Texas Association of Business (TAB), where he became a senior vice president and leader of the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives. In his 19-year career at TAB, he created the largest and most effective state-wide association of chamber leaders in the country. His counsel was sought by every new chamber leader and most seasoned ones.
He was a founding member of the Board of the Center for Chamber of Commerce Excellence, an education program for chamber executives in four states operated through the University of Oklahoma. He served as chairman of the Board of Regents of the Institute for Organization Management at SMU, and was one of two U.S. chamber executives selected to serve as the first instructors at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Central and South America.
Art drove change in the volunteer leadership of chambers, facilitating more chamber board retreats than anyone else in history. He continues that work, in which he pushes boards to be bold and decisive in tackling regional and policy challenges.
Established in 1914, ACCE is the only national association uniquely serving the professional development needs of individuals managing chambers of commerce throughout the United States and Canada. Representing more than 7,000 chamber professionals, ACCE enhances the knowledge, leadership skills, and management effectiveness of chamber executives and their staffs through education, trend analysis, benchmarking, and best practices. ACCE promotes the highest standards of professional excellence and integrity within the chamber profession.