2023 American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI) Distinguished Fellow: Irene Ellis Leech

The purpose of the ACCI Distinguished Fellow designation is to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to ACCI over a long period of time and are widely recognized as leaders in the consumer field. The award honors an individual who (1) has been a member of ACCI for at least 20 years; (2) has provided outstanding service to ACCI; (3) is recognized as a leader in the consumer field; and (4) has displayed high standards of professional and ethical conduct throughout her/his career.

This year's Distinguished Fellow—Irene Ellis Leech—amply meets these qualifications. Irene has contributed to the profession in every possible way over more than four decades. Her service to ACCI is extraordinary. In addition to serving as ACCI's President, she has been a program chair for an ACCI annual conference and a regular presenter at those conferences. Unofficially, she is ACCI's photographer, capturing many important moments in the lives of conference participants that otherwise would have been lost. Most significantly, Irene's passion for both ACCI and its work is evident in all of her interactions with the organization and its members.

Irene is clearly recognized as a leader in the consumer field. She has been a Consumer Federation of America (CFA) Board member since 1990, serving as president and vice president multiple times. CFA has recognized her many contributions to that organization and the profession with the Esther Peterson Consumer Service Award. Irene has served as President of the Virginia Citizens Consumer Council for 25 years, and as an unpaid lobbyist on behalf of the Council in the Virginia legislature. She has been a Consumer Council Member for Underwriters Laboratories (now UL) for more than 20 years. In addition, she previously served on the boards of the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. Irene has actively engaged in activities to represent consumer views in policy discussions in her home state of Virginia on diverse topics, including food safety and energy policy. At the federal level, she represented consumers on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Advisory Committee for Meat and Poultry Inspection. Irene also served on the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Advisory Council for 12 years and is actively engaged in the national debate about energy policy.

Few in ACCI have such a long-standing and varied record of service to the consumer field. And few are as respected as Irene is for the quality of her work. At ACCI, Irene is a positive role model for others, especially those who are new to the organization. Few have a record of sustained and distinguished service to ACCI and the larger consumer community that would compare favorably with Irene's.

Irene is an associate professor at Virginia Tech University, where she has worked for 37 years. She was a Consumer Education Specialist with Virginia Cooperative Extension for 15 years and a 4-H Extension Specialist for 5 years. There is no doubt that she has influenced the lives of many young adults through her work at Virginia Tech.

Irene Leech has made significant contributions to ACCI and to other consumer organizations for decades. For these reasons and more, in 2023 ACCI recognized Irene Ellis Leech as an ACCI Distinguished Fellow.