Oakdale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Mary Guardiola was recently recognized for renewing her Accredited Chamber Executive (ACE) status at the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.) annual conference in Anaheim, CA.

The ACE designation is awarded to only those chamber executives who meet stringent criteria set by the association’s board of directors. To continue to hold the Accredited Chamber Executive (ACE) designation, recipients must re-apply every five years and continue to meet strict professional development and educational requirements.

Guardiola was awarded her 10-year re-accreditation this year.

The accreditation program was first awarded in 1993 to encourage chamber executives to upgrade and expand their skills through continuing education and training programs in the chamber management and business fields. There are currently 21 ACE recipients who are active in chambers of commerce in the West.

Trisha K. Brown, the Membership Director at the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce, was among the 30 chamber executives to graduate from Academy, a professional development program presented by the Western Association of Chamber Executives.

Academy is an interactive training program on chamber management essentials designed for today’s chamber executives and staff professionals.

“We congratulate all of the graduates and their chambers for having the vision to invest in professional development,” said W.A.C.E. President Dave Kilby.

During the three-year Academy program, graduates participated in 18 three-hour classes and must successfully complete additional independent study outside of the classroom.

W.A.C.E. is an association of over 850 chamber executives and staff professionals with members in 18 Western states and Canada. The association’s mission is to promote and enhance the professional development of chamber of commerce executives. W.A.C.E. is the largest state or regional association of chamber of commerce executives in the United States.