WASHINGTON – Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, president of The George Washington University, has been chosen as the 2003 chair-elect of the District of Columbia Chamber of Commerce (DCCC) Board of Directors.  Recognized for his business sense and commitment to the viability of the District of Columbia, Trachtenberg was elected by the DCCC board at the Chamber’s annual meeting on December 18, 2002.  

“We are ecstatic to have someone with such integrity and intellect as the chair-elect of our board of directors here at the Chamber,” said Barbara Lang, president and CEO of the DCCC.  “Mr. Trachtenberg is a dynamic community leader and is the perfect individual to lead our Chamber into the future.”

Trachtenberg will serve as chair-elect until the DCCC annual meeting in December 2003, when he will formally be handed the gavel to become chair for 2004.  Trachtenberg will then chair the board until the next annual meeting in December 2004, when he will become immediate past chair, and will serve in that capacity for one year.  

“The Chamber has tremendous momentum heading into this year and there is no limit to what we can accomplish on behalf of the District of Columbia,” said Trachtenberg. “Joined by a board of top-notch business professionals, I look forward to leading the Chamber.”

According to the DCCC bylaws, the chair-elect assists the chair and assumes the chair’s duties and responsibilities in the chair’s absence.  The chair-elect has oversight and program responsibility for the Administrative, Communications and Membership Standing Board Committees.  

Trachtenberg was elected to his post with the following new officers: 1^st vice chair, Angela Avant, director, Management Assurance Services, KPMG LLP; 2^nd vice chair, Linda Greenan, assistant vice president, external affairs, Georgetown University; treasurer, Allen S. Thomas, Jr., managing partner, Deloitte & Touche; financial secretary, Stephen W. Porter, partner, Arnold & Porter; and secretary, Natalie O. Ludaway, managing partner, Leftwich & Douglas, PLLC.

Trachtenberg, who became president of GW in 1988, recently signed a new five-year contract to continue to lead the University through 2007.  Under his leadership, the University has experienced a record number of applications (17,000 in 2001-02), opened several new buildings and most recently was named one of the 12 “hottest colleges in the nation” by the 2002 Kaplan/Newsweek How to Get Into College guide.  Trachtenberg came to GW from the University of Hartford (CT), where he was president for 11 years. Before assuming the presidency of the University of Hartford, he served for eight years at Boston University as vice president for academic services and academic dean of the College of Liberal Arts. 

Trachtenberg’s election as the next chair of the DCCC marks the first example of his outreach to the community made possible by his having appointed a University provost for GW. John F. Williams, M.D., Ed.D., vice president for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences was named provost effective January 1, 2003.  With the addition of a provost position at GW, Trachtenberg will now have the opportunity to expand his service in the D.C. community and in higher education. 

The DCCC is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to improving business and tourism in the District of Columbia. With more than 1,400 members, the DCCC has a powerful impact on legislation and the business and tourism climate. The DCCC is working aggressively to expand the economy in Washington, D.C., by attracting new jobs and creating economic opportunities for its members and citizens. The DCCC also focuses on issues that impact future growth and community development, including arts and culture, education, international trade and government affairs.

For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org.

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