Renee Ledbetter, president of the Ceres Chamber of Commerce, was among 32 chamber executives to graduate last Friday from Academy, a professional development program presented by the Western Association of Chamber Executives (W.A.C.E.).

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 Dave Kilby, president of W.A.C.E.
During the three-year Academy program, graduates participated in 18 three-hour classes and must successfully complete additional independent study outside of the classroom.

Ledbetter, who has served on the Chamber board for six years and is serving her fourth year as president, was the only volunteer President/CEO in her Academy graduating class.

"Attending Academy has given me great insight on the Chamber's overall function in our city and the training to help strengthen, not only our organization, but more importantly our business community," said Ledbetter.

The Ceres Chamber of Commerce consists of 180 members and is overseen by a 16-member board comprised of local business owners and managers and ex-officio liaisons representing the city of Ceres, Ceres Unified School District and the Stanislaus Business Alliance.

W.A.C.E is an association of chamber of commerce executives and staff professionals designed to promote and enhance professional development. With approximately 830 members from seventeen Western states and Canada, W.A.C.E. is the largest state or regional association of chamber of commerce executives in the United States.