Richard Anderson 5688
Managing Principal, CQI Associates
Richard Anderson is the managing principal with CQI Associates. The firm is located in Columbia, Md., and provides consulting services to assist public and private clients in sixteen states and the District of Columbia. The firm assists clients in improving and developing programs to optimize energy resources, reduce environmental liability, and improve facilities management practices. Richard also works with the Maryland Energy Institute, Association of Energy Engineers, National Association of Environmental Management, and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. He has developed a series of on-going training programs to include the national workshop series entitled Creating Business Value Through Strategic Energy Management and the Application of Energy Resource Management Principles professional development course offered at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.
Bradley J. Apland
President, American Chamber of Commerce Resources (ACCR)
Brad Apland has more than 19 years of experience with chamber of commerce affinity programs, and was mentored and raised by the man who helped define the concept, Dick Apland, who passed away this past January. Brad and his brother Scott, also mentored and raised by Dick, have provided turn-key affinity programs to 44 state chambers of commerce, ranging from office supplies to human resources manuals. For the past three years, they have been working with the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the local and metro chambers in Florida, and a current roster of eight affinity partners to leverage the buying power of the combined memberships. Brad received his degree in elementary education from Drake University. Honors and awards include Most Likely to Feed Nieces and Nephews Chocolate Just Before Bedtime, Association of State Chamber Professionals Limbo Co-Champion and Prettiest Eyes (high school sophomore). Brad’s nephew, Justin, just joined ACCR and is currently being mentored. Brad lives in Chicago in a home with no walls, his family of VWs, two shedding cats and a collection of LPs. Peace Dad.
Rick Baker
President & CEO, Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce
Rick Baker is the president and CEO of the Illinois Quad City Chamber of Commerce. He began his career in chamber management in 1988 in Rochester, Minn., later moving to Newton, Iowa before accepting his current position in 1994. Rick is a 1995 graduate of the University of Colorado Institute for Organization Management, an active member of ACCE, a board member for the Illinois Chamber PAC, past chairman of the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, member of the Emerging Technologies Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a former board member of the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce. Locally, Rick is chairman of the Rock Island Community Foundation, immediate past chairman of the board of directors for Robert Young Center for Community Mental Health, and serves as a board member for the Workforce Development board, Adler Theater Foundation, and New Ventures Initiative board.
Robert (Bob) F. Baldwin
Senior Vice President, Member Services, Jacksonville (FL) Regional Chamber of Commerce
As senior vice president of member services at the Jacksonville (FL) Regional Chamber of Commerce, Bob uses the chamber’s innovative approach to meeting the needs of small businesses in Jacksonville to help position the Chamber as a national leader in small business assistance. Bob has been with the Chamber for 11 years. Prior to working with the Chamber, Bob and his wife owned and operated a small business for six years. Bob serves as a member of Small Business Administration advisory committee, and chair of the ACCE Small Business Division, and a member of the following boards: First Coast Micro Loan, Enterprise Zone Commission, Enterprise North Florida, Jacksonville Economic Development Commission’s Small Business Committee, and various other volunteer commitments. Bob earned a bachelor’s degree from Stetson University and holds several management certifications.
Tara England Barney
President & CEO, DavenportOne (IA)
Tara Barney is president and CEO of DavenportOne, a 1,200 member organization encompassing the chamber of commerce for Davenport, Iowa, as well as serving as an economic development and downtown redevelopment entity for Davenport. She supervises a staff of 23 and reports to a 37 member board of directors comprised of CEOs representing all sectors of business. In her previous position as senior vice president, Downtown Partnership, Tara led the downtown Davenport revitalization and development initiatives from 2002 to 2007. Highlights of her tenure include: development of the River Music Experience, development of Downtown Davenport Culture and Entertainment District, bringing many creative businesses to downtown Davenport, assistance to various Davenport commercial areas with redevelopment strategies, and RiverVision, the regional bi-state plan for the Mississippi River relationship with the downtown. She currently serves on the board of trustees of the Figge Art Museum and is a member of the ACCE, International Downtown Association, and the International Downtown Association. Tara received her bachelor’s degree in public administration from Miami University, and her master’s in public administration from Ohio State University. She was the recipient of the School of Business Administration Pace Setter Award.
Demming Bass
Vice President of Marketing and Public Policy, Gwinnett (GA) Chamber of Commerce
Demming Bass is the vice president of marketing and public policy for the Gwinnett (GA) Chamber of Commerce. In this role, Demming spearheads the development and implementation of the Chamber’s long-term strategic marketing communications plans and a number of high-profile government affairs, community development, leadership and education initiatives for Georgia’s largest Chamber. Before joining the Gwinnett Chamber in April of 2005, Demming served as the vice president of communications for the Greater Raleigh (NC) Chamber of Commerce. During his tenure as a Chamber executive, his departments have received 33 national Awards for Communications Excellence from ACCE, including three Grand Awards and the Best In Show for the Family of Communities branding campaign in 2004. He currently serves as ACCE’s National Chairman of the 2006 Awards for Communications Excellence and Chair-Elect for the Communications Division. He also serves on the Board of Regents for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Southeastern Institute of Organizational Management at the University of Georgia. Demming graduated cum laude with a bachelor of arts in communication from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. He is also a 2000 graduate of Leadership Raleigh and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute of Organizational Management at the College of Charleston. In 2004 he was selected as a Fellow for the prestigious North Carolina Institute of Political Leadership.
Howard C. Benson
Chief Executive Officer, National Community Development Services, Inc.
Howard Benson is CEO and founder of National Community Development Services, Inc. (NCDS) headquartered in Atlanta, Ga. NCDS is a 50-employee firm that pioneered the trend which enabled local communities to develop and fund strategic initiatives that have propelled most of them into the front ranks of successful communities in their regions. 2007 marks NCDS’ 30th year in business. Before starting NCDS, Howard served five years as a senior executive of the Atlanta (GA) Chamber of Commerce where he directed the very successful Forward Atlanta Program. Howard is a board member of the International Economic Development Council, is active in the American Chamber Executives Association and serves on the board of the American Association of Fundraising Counsel/the Giving Institute. He has written for chamber and economic development journals and is a frequent presenter at economic and community development conferences. Howard is a graduate of Brevard College.
Karena D. Boesel
Membership Representative, Boise (ID) Metro Chamber of Commerce
Karena Boesel has been with the Boise (ID) Metro Chamber of commerce since 1999. As a membership representative, she is responsible for new member sales, member retention and marketing and selling chamber products and services. She has been recognized by the ACCE Circle of Champions several years in a row for the top ten in number of new sales and dollar value of new sales. Prior to working at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce, Karena designed and sold telecommunication products. Her client list included the Idaho Air National Guard, the City of Meridian, Mountain Home School District, Oppenheimer Company and Home Federal Savings & Loan. She was ranked second in the U.S. for sales for one of the company’s products.
She is currently an officer for the George Fox Toastmaster International Club and the Boise Leaders Networking Group. Karena has a degree in marketing from Boise State University.
Jade Boneff-Walsh
CEO, Just-a-Click Marketing & Design
Jade Boneff-Walsh is the founder and CEO of Just-a-Click Marketing & Design, a marketing consulting and creative agency in Alexandria, Va. In 2003, just one year after the company was founded; it received the Best New Business of the Year award by the Alexandria (VA) Chamber of Commerce. Jade is responsible for all strategic and management decisions, and she also works directly with clients on international branding and multicultural marketing projects. Just-a-Click is proud to include in its list of clients corporations such as Mastercard and Sony Entertainment Television, as well as non-profit organizations such as the American Lung Association, and Scientists and Engineers for America. Prior to founding Just-a-Click, Jade was a regional marketing manager for Comcast, launching and developing broadband products along the East Coast. Jade is a native of Brazil, where she graduated with a degree in journalism at Casper Libero. Following several years in law school, she was accepted into the prestigious Holmes College in Sydney, Australia, where she earned a post-graduate degree in marketing and business communications.
Christopher P. Bruhl
President & CEO, The Business Council of Fairfield County (CT)
Christopher P. Bruhl is the president and CEO of The Business Council of Fairfield County (CT), a private non-profit corporation serving more than 3,100 business, entrepreneurial and professional services members. Chris has been a frequent consultant, speaker and conference moderator. He is a contributing author to two books, and was, for four years, the director of a national training program for non-profit board and staff conducted in affiliation with faculty from Yale University. At The Business Council, he developed a range of programs addressing the issue of effective business leadership, including Leadership Fairfield County, now in its 16th year, which has provided professional leadership development education to more than 300 executives from 60 companies; CEO Dialogues, a peer support group for small and mid-sized firm CEO’s which has met monthly for 11 years; and Breakfast with Champions, a career mentoring program which has brought more than 20 Fortune 1000 CEO’s into private dialogues with over 350 younger executives. He is the author of Leadership Networking, a book that offers a strategic approach to business development through community engagement. Prior to joining The Business Council in 1990, he spent a decade as the chief executive of the Westchester Arts Council. He holds a bachelor’s degree, in American civilization, from Brown University, a master’s degree in English from Louisiana State University, and a master’s in business administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business.
Dennis Conaghan
Executive Director, San Francisco Center for Economic Development
Dennis Conaghan is the executive director for the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. In his role, Dennis is responsible for directing the Center's attraction and retention programs. Previously, Dennis was chief operating officer for the Chamber of Commerce where he was responsible for directing the marketing, membership, financial and facilities operations of the 150-year-old organization. Prior to joining the Chamber in 1999, Dennis spent more than 30 years in the commercial real estate industry. For ten of those years, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of San Francisco's Embarcadero Center, overseeing six office buildings, two hotels, and more than 120 retail stores. He also has been responsible for operations and management at Coca-Cola World Headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., Tenneco in Houston, Texas, and the Bank of America World Headquarters in San Francisco, Calif. He currently serves on the board of directors for Workforce Investment San Francisco, the Bay Area Marketing Partnership, and the advisory board for the San Francisco Senior Center.
Dr. Rita C. Cook
Executive Director, Smoky Hill Education Service Center
Dr. Rita C. Cook currently serves as the executive director of the Smoky Hill Education Service Center, an education organization that provides guidance, support, and services for sixty-five school districts, universities, technical colleges, and private schools located in thirty-three counties in the north central and northwestern regions of Kansas. Rita has served on the board of the Association of Education Service Agencies (AESA), and currently serves on the AESA editorial board, and the AESA governmental relations network. In addition to numerous state educational boards and offices, she has been awarded a Women of Achievement Award by the Girl Scouts of Central Kansas and the YWCA Board of Directors; is a graduate of Leadership Kansas, and is a board member of the North Central Chapter of the Red Cross. Rita has authored one book and numerous articles in national education journals dealing with staff development and education practices. Additionally, she facilitates workshops and discussions on cutting-edge management solutions affecting education and the private sector. She received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Tarleton State University in Texas, and a doctorate in education administration from Kansas State University.
William (Bill) CouperPresident, Mid-Atlantic, Bank of America
In his role as president for Bank of America in the Mid-Atlantic region, Bill Couper coordinates and integrates product and service delivery for all lines of business, to bring the full resources of the company to clients and communities in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. He is also the senior leader for the bank’s management team for community and civic activities. In addition, he is the regional market development executive for Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Active in civic affairs throughout his career, Bill serves on the Federal City Council, the Virginia Business Council, the McIntire School of Commerce advisory board and the boards of the Economic Club of Washington, Goucher College, the Virginia Bankers’ Association and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, which he chaired from 2001 to 2003. He served as chairman of United Way of the National Capital Area from 2003 to 2005, as chairman of the Greater Washington Initiative from 2004 to 2006, and is the chair-elect of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. Bill graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in finance. After college he served in the United States Navy.