Grundy Chamber’s Van Yperen graduates from Institute for Organization management

The Institution for Organization Management, the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, announced Thursday that Christina Van Yperen, the President and CEO of the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce, has graduated from its program.

Awarded to all graduates of the Institute program, the IOM Graduate Recognition signifies the individual’s completion of 96 credit hours of course instruction in non-profit management. In addition, participants can earn credit hours toward the Certified Chamber Executive (CCE) or Certified Association Executive (CAE), certifications. Nearly 1,000 individuals attend Institute annually.

“I started my IOM journey in 2018 at the U.S. Chamber’s Midwest location in Madison, WI. Midway through it, COVID drove me to have to pause for a short time resulting in me completing my last two years in Tucson, AZ,” Van Yperen said. “Throughout the process, I’ve learned best practices and policies, created new ideas for our Chamber, and met professionals along the way to escalate both myself professionally and the Grundy Chamber. These lessons and opportunities would have never presented themselves without my ability to participate in the U.S. Chamber’s IOM program.”

Van Yperen received scholarships for all four years of the program, the last three of which covered all Institute costs from the Grundy Livingston Kankakee Workforce Board’s employee training dollars.

“Institute graduates are recognized across the country as leaders in their industries and organizations,” said Raymond P. Towle, IOM, CAE, the U.S. Chamber’s vice president of the Institute for Organization Management. “These individuals have the knowledge, skills, and dedication necessary to achieve professional and organizational success in the dynamic association and chamber industries.”

Since its commencement in 1921, the Institute program has been educating tens of thousands of association, chamber, and other nonprofit leaders on how to build stronger organizations, better serve their members, and become strong business advocates. The institute’s curriculum consists of four weeklong sessions at four different university locations throughout the country. Through a combination of required courses and electives in areas such as leadership, advocacy, marketing, finance, and membership, Institute participants can enhance their organizational management skills and add new fuel to their organizations, making them run more efficiently and effectively.

Institute for Organization Management is the professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It is the premier nonprofit professional development program for association and chamber professionals, fostering individual growth through interactive learning and networking opportunities.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business organization representing companies of all sizes across every sector of the economy. Its members range from the small businesses and local chambers of commerce that line the Main Streets of America to leading industry associations and large corporations.

The Grundy County Chamber, which also includes the Channahon Minooka Chamber, has about 540 members across and around Grundy County. For more information on the Grundy Chamber visit grundychamber.com.