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DECA Honors Top 10 Chapters Worldwide for 2025-2026
The top 10 DECA chapters received recognition on stage during the Grand Opening Session of DECA's 2026 International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA, on Saturday, April 25.
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DECA Celebrates Four Milestone Years of Service with Valued Partners
This year at the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA, DECA celebrated incredible milestones with four of our valued partners: MDA, The NRF Foundation, Vector Marketing and Spirit Box.

DECA Members Break Decade-Long Record by Raising Over $200,000 for MDA
In honor of this incredible achievement, DECA recognized the top 25 fundraising DECA chapters and the top three fundraising DECA associations at the Grand Opening Session of the 2026 International Career Development Conference.

DECA Members and Business Partners to Showcase a Future-Ready Workforce
The 80th annual DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) takes place April 25–28 in Atlanta, welcoming more than 26,000 high school students, advisors and business professionals from around the world, making it the largest conference in DECA’s history.

Watch the DECA ICDC 2026 Grand Opening Session
The 2026 DECA International Career Development Conference Grand Opening Session is happening on Saturday, April 25, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

Taste of ATL: 5 Restaurants You’ll Be Talking About All Trip
Whether you're going to dinner with your chapter, grabbing a bite after competition or exploring the city, here are five spots that deliver great food without feeling overly commercialized.

Case Study: Supporting Chick-fil-A Operators Through Optional Team Member Programs
Chick‑fil‑A has asked your DECA team to act as consultants and develop one optional program concept that Operators could voluntarily implement to support their Team Members.

Beyond the Badge: What DECA ICDC Does for Your Future
Placing at DECA ICDC feels good. But no matter how you finish, you'll leave the conference with far more than a ranking. In this article, learn how to actually make use of it.

The DECA Drop Episode 7: Advice & Gratitude
Your 2025–2026 Executive Officer Team saw how podcasts were taking off and wanted to give DECA members the same kind of experience: a place to pick up tips, hear updates and get to know our team!

Get Ready to Explore Atlanta
Attending DECA ICDC is a remarkable achievement in itself! Take time to celebrate your success, and explore one of America's most vibrant cities.

The Ultimate DECA Video Series: Tools for Success
This video breaks down DECA resources and opportunities to help members stay informed, connected and engaged. Join us as we walk through tools that keep you plugged into everything happening across our organization.

The Ultimate DECA Video Series: Online Events
From understanding how they work to where to find information on everything you need to know, we walk you through what makes these experiences valuable, competitive and unique.

Video Call Tips and Tricks
Practically overnight, video calls have become a new societal norm. This guide will provide you with a few tips and useful tricks to help improve your online learning or telecommuting experience.

A Quick Guide to Understanding Servant Leadership
The concept of leadership has been around since the days of Aristotle and Plato and has evolved countless times throughout the centuries. But in 1970, a new theory emerged. Developed by Robert Greenleaf, servant leadership is the idea that empowered leaders serve their followers and to enable them to live and work to their full potential.

The Ethics of Leadership
Ethical leaders exist in all walks of life. They are the individuals who step forward when crises occur, come to the rescue of others and generally do what's right—no matter what. Anyone can talk the talk, but can they walk the walk? In today's high-visibility, social world, more people are taking note of leaders’ behavior and holding them accountable.

DECA Direct Magazine: Next Level Leadership
A new school year brings new chances to elevate your leadership to the next level. Discover fresh ideas to enhance your chapter and become a leader worth following in your school, community and beyond.

The Next Level is Inclusion
It has never been more important for emerging leaders to be characterized by teamwork, innovation, competency and integrity. Fortunately, those are the valued characteristics of DECA’s student leaders. What if this moment needs you and the unique values that drive your leadership?

Top Tips for Socially-distant Membership Recruitment
Building your chapter’s membership is one of the most important ways to set it up for success in the new school year. But what are the best ways to recruit within the “new normal” of more virtual interactions and less in-person activities? Learn how to recruit new members the socially-distant way with these top tips.

The Power of the Diamond
Throughout your DECA career, you’ll wear the blazer, throw up a DECA diamond symbol and add lots of blue to your wardrobe. You will also undoubtedly hear DECA’s core values and mission statement more times than you can count. But have you ever stopped to think about what they really mean?

Cultivate Your Chapter’s Culture
2020 is a year that has changed all of our lives. If your DECA chapter has experienced a decline in recent months, struggling to cope with virtual meetings and maintain engagement, your chapter culture may need a boost.

Discover Your DECA Leadership Style
There are hundreds of assessments to help you pinpoint your leadership traits, but the only one you need to take your leadership to the next level is the DECA Leadership Style Quiz.

Influence with Informal Leadership
While you may not have an official leadership title, you still have the ability to help take your chapter to the #NextLevel with your informal leadership influence. Read on to learn more about informal leadership and how you can use it to make this year a success for you and your chapter.

DECA Members Raise $7,000 Through the MDA Muscle Corp Program
DECA members raised over $7,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) this summer through the pilot MDA Muscle Corp Program. Twenty-one DECA members successfully completed the program and earned 40 hours of community service.

Mountain View High School Virtual Recruitment
Like for many chapters, this year’s DECA kickoff meeting was unique for Mountain View High School in Georgia. Even though the meeting was held through Zoom, the chapter still found a way to make it one of their best meetings yet.

