Ed Rust Elected Vice Chairman of U.S. Chamber

Donohue Points to the State Farm CEO’s ‘Record of Excellent Engagement’

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors today elected Edward Rust Jr. as its vice chairman for a one-year term. Rust, the chairman and CEO of State Farm, takes on the role held by John Ruan, chairman and CEO of Ruan Transportation Management and the newly named chairman of the Chamber’s board of directors.

“Ed understands that there is a lot Washington can be doing to help alleviate the uncertainty businesses are facing. By failing to act on the pending trade agreements or creating a competitive tax environment, American businesses are being put at a competitive disadvantage,” said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue. “But he also recognizes that part of Washington’s job is to get out of the way. More burdensome regulations won’t help the private sector do what it does best: expand and create jobs.”

Rust brings a wealth of experience to his role as vice chairman of the Chamber’s board. He is currently vice chair of the Business Roundtable and co-chairman of the Business Coalition for Student Achievement. He serves on the boards of America’s Promise Alliance; the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership; and Achieve, Inc. He is a member of the boards of directors of Caterpillar Inc., Helmerich & Payne, Inc., and McGraw-Hill Companies.

He is former chairman of the Business-Higher Education Forum and the Business Roundtable’s Education Initiative. He served on the National (Glenn) Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, and on the No Child Left Behind Commission. Rust was co-chair of the Business Roundtable for more than seven years. He is also past chairman of the American Enterprise Institute, The Financial Services Roundtable, the National Alliance of Business, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. He currently serves as a trustee of The Conference Board, the Committee for Economic Development, and Illinois Wesleyan University.

“Ed is a leader on almost every major issue the Chamber has been working on. He is always the first person to step up to the plate to offer his time and energy to this institution,” said Donohue.

A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, Rust has a Juris Doctor degree and a master’s of business from Southern Methodist University. He joined State Farm in 1975 at the company’s Dallas, Texas, regional office. He became president and chief executive in 1985 and was elected chairman of the board two years later. He and his wife, Sally, have one son.

A high resolution photo of Rust is available at: http://www.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/board/RUST225.zip

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

# # #