William (Bill) Archey, was AeA's President & CEO from 1994 until February 2008.  From November 15, 2007, until February 22, 2008, which coincided with the transition to AeA's new President & CEO, Mr. Archey was the overlapping chief executive with Christopher W. Hansen.

From 1986 to 1994 Mr. Archey was with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest private business federation in the world, where he was first International Vice President and then Senior Vice President - Policy and Congressional Affairs.  As Senior Vice President, he was chief lobbyist and legislative strategist on all policy issues (domestic, international, economic) and oversaw the grassroots network and outreach program.  Mr. Archey was a member of the board of the Center for Workforce Preparation and the National Chamber Foundation.  As International Vice President, he was responsible for the formulation and implementation of the Chamber's policy position on international economic and trade issues and was responsible for coordinating policy and program activities with 60 American Chambers of Commerce overseas and 10 bilateral business councils.  He also served as Vice President and Executive Director of the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), the business community's effort to support free market economic reforms in the developing world.

Prior to joining the Chamber Mr. Archey held a number of high-level Government positions.  He was Acting Assistant Secretary for Trade Administration in the Department of Commerce (1983-1986), the senior official administering U.S. export control laws and U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty import laws.  Prior to this position he was Deputy Commissioner and Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service and was also Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Customs Cooperation Council, an international body of over 100 countries based in Brussels, Belgium.  Mr. Archey was also the Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Operations at the U.S. Treasury Department.

Prior to his Government service Mr. Archey was employed by the Ford Motor Company and the New England Bell Telephone Company.  He is currently a member of the adjunct faculty at George Mason University Graduate School where he teaches a course on international trade relations and is a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer at the State Departments Foreign Service Institute.

He received his bachelor's degree in Economics from Providence College, his MBA from Northeastern University and has completed all the course work for a PhD in organizational theory and behavior at Boston University.  He is the coauthor of several publications on organizational theory and has written a number of op ed pieces on international trade which have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other publications.

This page was last updated on 02/28/08.  
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