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.

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.

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