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DAVID
J. SAUNDERS, David
J. Saunders, is the Co-Founder and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of Venue
International Professionals, Inc. and
brings to VIP an extensive background in
business development and marketing
expertise within the international trade
and investment arena as a consultant and
technical advisor. He was elected as an
Associate Member of the ATA's
International Board of Directors and is
the Chairperson of the Membership
Committee. He also is a member of
Constitution Advisory Committee, Strategic
Planning Committee and Education and
Training Committee. He
was credited with creating both the ATA
Chapter Presidents' Forum and the New
Members Orientation Forum. He has been a
member of the ATA organization for five
years and prior to his election to the ATA
Board of Directors he was the President of
the ATA's Mid-Atlantic Chapter from
1997-2000. He has organized, coordinated
and hosted many trade and tourism shows,
marketing and sales blitz campaigns, and
press conferences as well as conducted
various tours for groups to the Continent
of Africa. Web
Site: www.venuetravel.com His
active professional and corporate
affiliations include, but are not limited
to: member of the District of Columbia
Chamber of Commerce (DCCC) Executive Board
of Directors; Vice Chairperson of both the
International Trade Committee and the
International Travel and Tourism Committee
of the DCCC; member of the Black
Presidents' Roundtable Association (BPRA);
and member of the National Board of
Directors of Blacks In Government (BIG).
He is also a Special Advisor to Howard
University's Small Business Development
Center (HUSBDC) as well as a member of the
Small Business Administration's (SBA)
Washington Metropolitan Area Advisory
Council. In addition, he was a Special
Advisor to the District of Columbia's 1995
Delegation to the White House Conference
on Small Business (WHCSB). In
1999, he received the ATA's Outstanding
Leadership Award for his exemplary
contributions to the organization. In
addition to the above, he is the Director
of Management and Administrative Services
for the Constituency for Africa (CFA)
which is the premiere advocacy
non-governmental organization (NGO) for
Africa in the United States. He is a also
a regular contributing writer and
researcher for several trade publications
to include the ATA Website, Africa Travel
Magazine and Black Meetings & Tourism
Magazine.
About
ATA With
the Africa Travel Association's 30th
Jubilee Congress in 2005, the excitement
is mounting as our magazine's editors and
New York office staff are going through
the archives in our effort to present a
landmark souvenir capsule of ATA's
progress up to the present time. The above
profile is one important step in that
direction, as the association's great
strength is the caliber of people in its
chapters and on its Board of
Directors. ATA
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