Notes by Elizabeth Dolan, Robin Henager, and Brenda Cude

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.

伊丽莎白·多兰、罗宾·赫纳格和布伦达·库德的笔记

ACCI杰出研究员称号的目的是表彰长期为ACCI做出重大贡献并被广泛认可为消费领域领导者的个人。该奖项旨在表彰以下个人：(1) 成为 ACCI 会员至少 20 年；(2) 为 ACCI 提供了出色的服务；（3）被公认为消费领域的领导者；(4) 在整个职业生涯中表现出高标准的专业和道德行为。

今年的杰出研究员艾琳·埃利斯·里奇完全符合这些资格。四十多年来，艾琳以各种可能的方式为这个行业做出了贡献。她为 ACCI 提供的服务非常出色。除了担任 ACCI 主席外，她还担任 ACCI 年会的程序主席并定期在这些会议上发表演讲。她非正式地是 ACCI 的摄影师，捕捉了与会者生活中的许多重要时刻，否则这些时刻可能会丢失。最重要的是，艾琳对 ACCI 及其工作的热情在她与该组织及其成员的所有互动中显而易见。

Irene 被公认为消费领域的领导者。她自 1990 年起担任美国消费者联合会 (CFA) 董事会成员，多次担任主席和副主席。CFA 授予埃丝特·彼得森消费者服务奖，以表彰她对该组织和行业的诸多贡献。艾琳 (Irene) 担任弗吉尼亚公民消费者委员会主席 25 年，并作为该委员会在弗吉尼亚州立法机构的无偿游说者。20 多年来，她一直担任 Underwriters Laboratories（现为 UL）的消费者委员会成员。此外，她还曾担任财务咨询和规划教育协会以及全国个人财务顾问协会的董事会成员。艾琳（Irene）积极参与各种活动，在她的家乡弗吉尼亚州就食品安全和能源政策等各种主题的政策讨论中代表消费者的观点。在联邦层面，她在美国农业部国家肉类和家禽检验咨询委员会中代表消费者。Irene 还在联邦通信委员会消费者咨询委员会任职 12 年，并积极参与有关能源政策的全国辩论。

ACCI 中很少有人拥有如此长期且多样化的消费者领域服务记录。很少有人像艾琳那样因其工作质量而受到尊重。在 ACCI，艾琳是其他人的积极榜样，尤其是新加入该组织的人。很少有人能与 Irene 相比，为 ACCI 和更大的消费者群体提供持续而卓越的服务记录。

艾琳是弗吉尼亚理工大学的副教授，她已在该大学工作了 37 年。她曾担任弗吉尼亚合作推广组织的消费者教育专家 15 年，并担任 4-H 推广专家 5 年。毫无疑问，她通过在弗吉尼亚理工大学的工作影响了许多年轻人的生活。

几十年来，艾琳·里奇 (Irene Leech) 为 ACCI 和其他消费者组织做出了重大贡献。出于这些原因以及其他原因，ACCI 于 2023 年认可艾琳·埃利斯·里奇 (Irene Ellis Leech) 为 ACCI 杰出研究员。