Join us on Wednesday September 22, 2021 from Noon to 1pm when Dave Adkisson, CCE, joins us to share his insight and expertise from his 40 years observing chambers of commerce – as a CEO of three very different chambers (a small city chamber, a metro chamber, and a state chamber), as a two-term mayor of his hometown, as a former assistant to a U.S. Senator, and as a chamber leader on the national level.
Dave will share the importance of strategy and sequencing when running a chamber and emphasizes the importance of developing your staff and determining the distinct role of your chamber as well as the unique opportunity for chambers to get things done in today’s challenging political climate.
Purchase Dave’s book, Horseshoes vs. Chess, on Amazon {HERE} (Kindle $8.99; Hardcover $28.95; Paperback $19.95)
About Our Guest Speaker…. A veteran chamber executive and former mayor, Dave Adkisson served as the CEO of three chambers: his hometown chamber in Owensboro; the metro Birmingham Alabama Chamber and the Kentucky (state) Chamber. On the national level, he served as the 2010 chairman of the board of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), was a founder of the national State Chamber Policy Center and served six years on the board of the U. S. Chamber. Together, he spent more than 30 years in the chamber field. Adkisson retired as president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in 2019. During his tenure the Chamber was routinely ranked as the top lobbying organization in Kentucky, tripled its budget, doubled its staff and was named the 2017 State Chamber of the Year. In addition to achieving several landmark legislative victories, Adkisson created the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center and the Leadership Institute for School Principals, a program which has invested more than $3 million in executive leadership training for school principals. Earlier in his career, he was elected mayor of Owensboro, KY at age 34 and re-elected four years later without opposition. He championed the creation of the RiverPark Center, the development of the William Natcher Bridge, the Mid-America Airpark, and the 13-mile-long Greenbelt Park which was later named by the City Commission in his honor. He was a co-founder of Leadership Kentucky and serves on the board of the Kentucky American Water Company. Adkisson graduated from Georgetown College, where he serves as the immediate past chairman of the board of trustees and earned his masters from Harvard University. He was the 2019 recipient of Leadership Kentucky’s “Flame of Excellence” award. He and his wife, Bonnie, reside in Lexington, KY, along with their two children and three grandchildren. One of his retirement projects was to complete his book, Horseshoes vs. Chess, A Practical Guide for Chamber of Commerce Leaders, which launched on Amazon and became a bestseller in several Amazon categories in January of this year.
Join us on Wednesday September 22, 2021 from Noon to 1pm when Dave Adkisson, CCE, joins us to share his insight and expertise from his 40 years observing chambers of commerce – as a CEO of three very different chambers (a small city chamber, a metro chamber, and a state chamber), as a two-term mayor of his hometown, as a former assistant to a U.S. Senator, and as a chamber leader on the national level. 
