DECA (organization)
| Formation | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Type | Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) |
| Headquarters | 1908 Association Drive Reston, Virginia, USA 20191-1591 |
Membership | 180,000+ |
Board President/Executive Director | Roger Cartee/Ed Davis |
Staff | ~30 |
| Website | http://www.deca.org/ |
DECA (currently the Distributive Education Clubs of America, also known as Delta Epsilon Chi 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). It is one of ten organizations listed as Career and Technical Student Organizations by the United States Department of Education.[1]
DECA is a business marketing, management, and entrepreneurship organization that strives to educate its members about general marketing, entrepreneurship, and general business strategies and decisions. DECA aims to prepare members for future careers in general marketing and business.
Conferences
The International Career Development Conference (ICDC) is available to all non-qualifying DECA members. The ICDC is held in a different city every year. Conference Locations for past and future years:
- 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's 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 [2]
- North Atlantic Region Leadership Conference (NARCON)
- Western Region Leadership Conference (WRLC)
- Western Region Officer Training Camp (WROTC)
Structure
More than 56 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 and Germany.[3]
DECA is divided into four divisions: High School, DEX/ΔΕΧ (Delta Epsilon Chi), 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.
Delta Epsilon Chi, is organized in much the same way as High School DECA, except that chapters are by college, not high school. The ΔΕΧ membership is also much smaller than high school. The Collegiate Division of DECA called ΔΕΧ (DEX) was formed in 1970. This division functions as a student/professional division. The Canada Division is directed toward future marketing professionals.
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 Canada develop the next generation of business and marketing leaders.
National Officers
While DECA has chapter, regional, and state officers, there are also national officers, who are the five highest ranking members in the organization. There is one president, and a vice president for each of the four regions. The national officers are high school graduates.[citation needed]
Sources
- History of DECA (from the Virginia DECA website)
- Competitive Event Listing (from the official DECA.org website)