About ACCA
Message from
ACCA's President
I am Darcel Webb, the President of ACCA. It will be my pleasure serving as your president for the next two years. ACCA has grown in membership in the last decade from 250 to over 1,000, and we had 800 attendees at the National Training Institute in 2023.
Over my tenure as president, it is the intent for the Board of Directors to develop tactical and strategical planning for ACCA’s future. ACCA is a growing organization and will be working to keep abreast with transformation in our professions. We must embrace changes while making improvements with communication, technology and organizational effectiveness. Tactical changes can be easily made within a short period of time; however, strategic changes will take planning and implementation over time. The three words you will hear me communicate during my tenure are SUSTAINABILITY, PROFITABILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS.
SUSTAINABILTY to continue to be the leading organization in education and training directed in our mission statement.
PROFITABILITY will allow the organization to continue to provide outstanding educational sessions with experts in the profession.
EFFECTIVENESS will keep members and attendees returning each year for the best in equipping individuals with information of best practices and updates in their discipline.
ACCA will always be a leader empowering professional in their fields of expertise with staying the course with our mission statement and core values.
I look forward to seeing each of you at the next National Training Institute in Seattle, Washington.
Sincerely,
Dr. Darcel Webb, MACE, MCA, ECMCA
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.
ACCA Presidents
Luis Molina
Founding Father
New Jersey
Kerry L. Kirkland
Founding Father
Pennsylvania
Robert J. Harrison
Founding Father
New Jersey
Marvin D. Taylor
Founding Member
Minnesota
Jarvis L. Patton
Alabama
Lenoria Walker
Texas
Beverly Johnson
California
Felecia Lewis Johnson
Maryland
Jerry Walker
Oregon
Lisa Alexander
Illinois
Darcel Webb
Texas
ACCA | Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision
Our vision is to have ACCA recognized as the leading national organization that provides a training institute to educate compliance practitioners, support economic diversity and promote equitable employment and contracting practices within public and private sector institutions.
Mission
Our mission is to deliver ongoing comprehensive training and certification to practitioners working within the fields of Affirmative Action, Contract Compliance, Minority/Women/Disadvantaged/Small/Emerging Business Enterprise, Labor Compliance, Economic & Business Development, and Equal Employment Opportunity.
Values
To promote uniform standards in the administration of contract compliance programs
To promote professionalism and best practices in the administration of contract compliance programs
To facilitate networking and exchange of information among members and affiliates of ACCA
To represent contract compliance professionals and serve as a national advocacy forum in alliance with public and private groups that share ACCA’s vision, mission and values
To facilitate the development, availability and dissemination of information, both technical and otherwise, to members of ACCA and contractors that will be of aid to these persons and agencies in furtherance of contract compliance objectives
To educate the public on the socio-economic benefits of properly admini- stered affirmative action, women, small, and historically under- utilized business programs
To apply for and receive grants, stipends, and contributions and to engage in other revenue generating activities to further the purposes of ACCA
To recognize those who further the ends of contract compliance through awards, commendations, and other forms of recognition
To conduct the business of ACCA with integrity and honesty to ensure that we strengthen the personal and professional relationships with each other and future members
