Richard P. Rush
Chairman, Rush Strategies
Air Date April 8th, 2012
Dick Rush is Chairman of Rush Strategies, an association management and advocacy organization that helps business people and trade organizations speak out with impact on policy issues crucial to their bottom lines.
He is Senior Vice President of Ingenuity of JustGOODNews.BIZ – America’s leading GOOD economic news service. JustGoodNews.BIZ summarizes leading headlines from across the nation about growing companies, new jobs, emerging markets, American ingenuity and innovation at work — And delivers it via email to thousands of subscribers daily. As SVP, Dick interviews entrepreneurs and business thought leaders about their ideas, successes, challenges and life lessons.
Dick and his wife, Kris, are co-administrators of the Council of State Chambers, the national professional association of State Chamber presidents. They organize COSC’s national conferences and mentor State Chamber executives.
He is Vice Chairman of the Center for America, helping to educate, motivate and empower Americans to expand workplace skills, entrepreneurship, prosperity and freedom.
Dick served as President and CEO of The State Chamber of Oklahoma for 23 years until his retirement in 2010. Under his leadership, The State Chamber became a national leader in passing many pro-jobs laws including tort reform, workers comp reform, a Right-to-Work Constitutional Amendment, plus many other successful business campaigns.
Prior to joining The State Chamber of Oklahoma in 1986, Dick served for nearly six years as Regional Manager for the United States Chamber of Commerce’s Southwestern Office in Dallas. For four years he worked at the California State Chamber developing a Legislative Action Program for Small Business and as Executive Vice President of CACCE. He began his chamber career at the San Francisco Chamber and later took the helm of the San Rafael Chamber. His 40-year Chamber career spanned seven states and many foreign economies.
Dick has served as chairman or board member of a wide range of business and civic organizations including: Chairman of the Council of State Chambers (COSC), the Oklahoma Business Roundtable, Oklahoma Business Circle for Arts Education, Salvation Army Advisory Board, Governor’s International Team, Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center (now i2E) and Oklahoma 21st Century Research Foundation.
His 20 year work with China has established two Sister State Chambers in the Provinces of Gansu and Liaoning.