DECA (organization)

DECA
Formation	1946
Type	Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO)
Headquarters	1908 Association Drive Reston, Virginia, U.S. 20191-1591
Membership	180,000+
National Student Officers	Claire Coker, Micah Melling, Jenn Harrington, Kendra Wrightson, Johnny Martin
Staff	~30
Website	http://www.deca.org/

DECA, (also known as Collegiate DECA on the college level) is an international association of students and teachers of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in business, finance, hospitality, and marketing sales and service (DECA.org). DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe. It is one of ten organizations listed as Career and Technical Student Organizations by the United States Department of Education.

Conferences

The International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is available to all qualifying DECA members. The ICDC is held in a different city every year. Conference Locations for past and future years:

• 1997 - Anaheim, California
• 1998 - Denver, Colorado
• 1999 - Orlando, Florida
• 2000 - Louisville, Kentucky
• 2001 - Anaheim, California
• 2002 - Salt Lake City, Utah
• 2003 - Orlando, Florida
• 2004 - Nashville, Tennessee
• 2005 - Anaheim, California
• 2006 - Dallas, Texas
• 2007 - Orlando, Florida
• 2008 - Atlanta, Georgia
• 2009 - Anaheim, California
• 2010 - Louisville, Kentucky
• 2011 - Orlando, Florida
• 2012 - Salt Lake City, Utah
• 2013 - Anaheim, California
• 2014 - Atlanta, Georgia
• 2015 - Orlando, Florida

Competition hierarchy:

• Regional (in some areas, it is known as Area Competition or District Competition),
• State Career Development Conference (SCDC) or Provincial Competition (Canada)
• International Career Development Conference (ICDC)

Other conferences at the high school level include:

• State and Regional Leadership Conferences
• Central Region Leadership Conference (CRLC)
• The New York Experience
• District Competitive Event Conferences
• State Competitive Conferences (SCC)
• Sports and Entertainment Marketing Conference
• North Atlantic Region Leadership Conference (NARCON)
• Western Region Leadership Conference (WRLC)
• Western Region Officer Training Camp (WROTC)

Structure

More than 60 years ago, DECA organized around an ambitious goal: to improve education and career opportunities for students interested in careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship.^{[citation needed]} Membership includes 180,000 students and advisers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, China, Korea, Japan,and Germany.

DECA is divided into four divisions: High School, Collegiate DECA (College Division), Alumni, and Professional.

The High School Division is composed of individual chapters (DECA organizations within one school). Areas and Districts are grouped under a state association. State associations are grouped together as regions.

Collegiate DECA is organized in much the same way as High School DECA, except that chapters are by college, not high school. Collegiate DECA's membership is smaller than the high school division. Collegiate DECA, previously called Delta Epsilon Chi, was formed in 1970. This division functions as a student/professional division.

The Alumni division is for former DECA members, giving them a way to participate in DECA and give back to the organization after high school or college.

The Professional Division is made up of individuals who have become business or marketing professionals and are interested in helping to develop the next generation of business and marketing leaders. Between 1937 and 1946 local clubs of distributive education students were formed to fulfill the need of cooperative education students to belong, to develop socially, and to be a part of a group. In 1944 the state clubs in the area then designated as the Southern Region, announced that they had joined together under the common name of the Distributors' Club. This association was announced at that year's American Vocational Association convention. In February 1946 a national planning committee appointed to develop a tentative plan for the organization of a distributive education club on a national level.

History

The official birth of the national organization occurred during the first Interstate Conference of Distributive Education Clubs held in Memphis, TN, on April 17-19, 1947. Among those in attendance was the Louisiana delegation. More than 100 students and sponsors, representing 22 states, participated in this conference. In 1948 the organization's name was changed to The Distributive Education Clubs of America and a constitution, emblem, creed, colors, and national dues structure were approved. Seventeen states were accepted as charter members.

The DECA Foundation was legally incorporated in 1959-60. In spring of 1953 the DECA staff moved into the building housing the AVA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The first DECA theme was chosen for use during the 1959-60 school year (DE-Gateway to Success). By 1969, every state in the U.S. was operating a state association of DECA.

Competitive events were refined and stabilized during the 1960s. After a study conducted during 1973-74, a Competitive Events Reorganization task force proposed a new competence-based approach to competitive events designed to integrate the DECA organization within the instructional program of distributive education.

During the early 1970s, the DECA Board of Directors and national staff prepared plans to build a National DECA Center in Reston, VA. The building was dedicated in September 1976. Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, William Bennett, in 1988 endorsed DECA and the other vocational student organizations.

In 1989 DECA approved their mission statement of "The mission of DECA is to enhance the education of students with interests in marketing, management, and entrepreneurship.” A name change occurred in 1991 when the Board of Directors decided that the acronym, DECA, would be used in conjunction with the words, "An Association of Marketing Students." New logos were designed to reflect this change.

National Officers

Collegiate DECA's National Officer Team consists of one President and four Vice Presidents. A new team of officers is elected every year at the International Career Development Conference by voting delegates from around the globe. The National Officer team assists corporate DECA with membership development and services, web site development, conference promotion, member and chapter encouragement, and service of the members and advisors.

Dr. Ed Davis has ruled as Executive Director since 1992. Today, DECA's programs are growing and expanding their involvement in competitive events, community activities, professional development, and leadership opportunities. DECA's scholarship program, founded in 1962, has grown from the $4,750 awarded that first year, to well over $250,000 that are available today. The Muscular Dystrophy Association is the national charity that DECA members work closely with to help find a cure for neuromuscular diseases. DECA can be found in every state of the United States, in four U.S. territories, in Canada, and in Europe. Chapters exist in high schools, career centers, community colleges, technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and private and parochial schools. More than 5,000 chapters involve over 185,000 members in the many varied activities sponsored by DECA.

DECA National Officers

Year	Position	Officer	State
2011–2012	DECA National President	Claire Coker	Tennessee
2011–2012	DECA Central Region VP	Micah Melling	Missouri
2011–2012	DECA North Atlantic Region VP	Jennifer Harrington	Delaware
2011–2012	DECA Southern Region VP	Kendra Wrightson	Florida
2011–2012	DECA Western Region VP	Johnny Martin	Arizona

Collegiate DECA National Officers

Year	Position	Officer	State
2011–2012	DECA National President	Paige Eldridge	Texas
2011–2012	DECA National Vice President	Dakota Dale	Mississippi
2011–2012	DECA National Vice President	Clayton Bradshaw	Oklahoma
2011–2012	DECA National Vice President	Emily Dziatlik	Utah
2011–2012	DECA National Vice President	Ron Schoolcraft	Wisconsin

State Associations

• Pennsylvania DECA
• Illinois DECA
• Tennessee DECA
• California DECA
• Nevada DECA
• New Jersey DECA
• Texas DECA
• Connecticut DECA
• Massachusetts DECA
• Indiana DECA
• Missouri DECA
• Washington DECA
• New Hampshire DECA
• Oregon DECA
• Arizona DECA
• Maryland DECA
• Georgia DECA
• North Carolina DECA
• Missouri DECA
• Ohio DECA

Provincial Associations

• DECA Ontario

Sources

• History of DECA (from the Virginia DECA website)
• Competitive Event Listing (from the official DECA.org website)

External links

• Official Site of DECA
• State chapter directory