BETH CHAPPELL:
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Economic Club (DEC) in Detroit. One of the nation’s premier speaking venues for CEOs and government officials, the club is a non-partisan, non-profit, membership organization that provides a platform for the debate and discussion of business, government, and social issues. Under her leadership as the organization’s first female CEO, Chappell has overseen major initiatives, including the development of the National Summit in 2009, which drew CEOs and high-profile speakers from around the country to Detroit to focus on improving American competitiveness in the global economy. Before joining the DEC, Chappell was executive vice president of Compuware Corp. and also led the Chappell Group, a management consulting company. Earlier, Chappell spent 16 years at AT&T Corp., where she served as global services vice president, leading relationship sales efforts with large clients around the world. Chappell is on the board of American Axle & Manufacturing Corp., Charter One Advisor Board for the Midwest, Detroit Regional Chamber, Brother Rice High School, St. Joseph Mercy Foundation, Michigan Economic Growth Authority, United Way, and Citizens Research Council.
Crain’s Detroit Business named her to its Most Influential Women list in 1997 and 2007, and she was a 2009 Newsmaker of the Year finalist. She received her bachelor’s degree in marketing from Michigan State University and is a past recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award from MSU’s Broad College of Business.
