About ACCA | History

The American Contract Compliance Association was established in 1986 as a nonprofit national organization dedicated to ensuring equitable employment and contracting practices within the public and private sectors. It started as the brainchild of members of the Minnesota based Inter-Governmental Compliance Institute (IGCI).
The thought was to foster a national organization which would provide training, standardization of practice, networking, and support to the many affirmative action, contract compliance, equal employment, and human rights workers across the country. In 1989, under the leadership of President Robert Harrison, Vice President Kerry Kirkland, and in association with Boston University School of Social Work, ACCA held the first accredited training institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The week long conference gave 4.2 continuing education credits to registrants that passed each class and test by a score of 85% or more. Later, the “Compliance Administrator” was divided into two training sessions of 21 hours each.

The American Contract Compliance Association continued to grow and serve. Relationships were developed with Senator Parren J. Mitchell, Arthur A. Fletcher, the Minority Business Enterprise Legal Defense and Education Fund (MBELDEF), and the leading attorneys in the field. The organization adopted a fitting slogan for the times it faced. It simply said, “Integrity, Courage, and Commitment”. The subsequent federal and local activities and legal mandates proved the need for these new change agents. In living up to the challenge, a conference and public service forum was held in Richmond, Virginia following the case of J. A. Croson vs. City of Richmond (VA). The televised dialogue provided valuable information and insights into the court ruling and requirements. Strategic conferences were also held in Alabama, Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Ohio, to name a few key locations. Over the years, the American Contract Compliance Association has served the needs of our country and constituents through strong leaders who were willing to lead. The past twenty five years, the following seven committed presidents have lead the organization.