Bryan Starr Elected to Chamber Industry Board of Directors

 Bryan Starr, president and CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber, has been elected to serve on the 2019-2020 Board of Directors for the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), a Virginia-based association of more than 9,000 professionals who work for and with more than 1,300 chambers of commerce nationally.

“It’s an honor to be included in this impressive group of chamber executives. I’m looking forward to engaging my colleagues from some of the most successful chambers the nation for meaningful exchanges of ideas,” Starr said. “Bringing a Southern California point of view to the discussions at the national level will benefit the entire chamber community and the businesses we serve.”

Members of ACCE’s Board of Directors represent more than 50 organizations, including many of the world’s largest and most influential regional chambers of commerce. The ACCE board supports the organization’s mission to support and develop chamber professionals to lead businesses and their communities, and to identify and analyze trends affecting communities, share best practices, and develop benchmarking studies.

“We are pleased to welcome Bryan Starr to the ACCE Board of Directors,” said Sheree Anne Kelly, president and CEO of ACCE. “Bryan joins the organization’s volunteer leadership at an exciting time as we implement our new strategic plan that’s crafted to support and elevate the exceptional community advancement efforts of chambers of commerce. His expertise complements our board of directors’ skills, and we’re confident he will provide valuable perspective and insight as we continue to strengthen the organizations that are creating change across the globe.”

As president and CEO of the Greater Irvine Chamber, one of the largest chambers in California, Starr oversees economic development and tourism marketing for the organization as well as the Irvine Chamber Education Foundation. Each of these areas have resulted in significant economic impact for greater Irvine and Irvine area businesses.

Under Starr’s leadership, the Chamber has earned numerous honors, including a Five-Star Accreditation, the highest rating awarded by the United States Chamber of Commerce, and the President’s E-Award for Export Service.

Starr serves on the Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100, a group of chamber executives that represents their members to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Major Cities Council; and the Board of Directors of Los Angeles Chargers player Melvin Gordon’s Beyond the Flash Foundation, which provides economically challenged students with educational opportunities and resources to succeed. Starr was named the 2019 Executive of the Year by the Western Association of Chamber Executives and was recognized with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Community Excellence Chamber Award.

Previously, Starr served as senior vice president to Orange County Business Council, CEO of the Building Industry Association of Southern California, Orange County Chapter, and earlier as a junior staff member to the Committee on Ways and Means, United States House of Representatives.

Starr has served on numerous public boards including Orange County Council of Governments, OC Waste and Recycling, the City of Irvine’s Green Ribbon Commission, and was a founding board member of the Irvine Community Land Trust.

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Established in 1914, ACCE is an association of 9,000 leaders from 1,300 chambers of commerce, including 93 of the top 100 U.S. metro areas. The combined membership of ACCE chambers is close to one million businesses. Chamber leaders look to ACCE for best practices, networks and new ideas that will help them advance the interests of their communities. ACCE recommends successful programs and strategies, and identifies trends, partners and business models that show promise.