About

About Me

Charles Van Rysselberge concluded a 40 year chamber of commerce management career on March 31, 2011. His most recent, but not all, of his career stops have included:


Since 2011: President of CVR Consulting, LLC…consulting for Revenue Generation,

Community Collaboration through Strategic Doing, and Business & Association Services…

…such as Chamber Mergers, Visionary Programming, Crisis Management, Business Continuity Planning, Public Ballot Vote Yes Campaigns, Leadership/Succession Planning, Mentoring, etc.

  • 2002-2011: President & CEO, Charleston Metro (SC) Chamber of Commerce
  • 2001-2002: Consultant, Fremont Development Group, Atlanta, GA
  • 1993-2001: President & CEO, Greater Oklahoma City (OK) Chamber of Commerce
  • 1988-1993: Executive Vice President, (# 2 Post), Metro Atlanta (GA) Chamber of Commerce
  • 1986-1988: President & CEO, Shreveport (LA) Chamber of Commerce
  • 1981-1986: President & CEO, Dalton-Whitfield (GA) Chamber of Commerce

He has dual citizenship (American and Belgian) and is a South Carolina Consular Corps member, serving as the foreign trade advisor for the country of Belgium. He serves on the Board of Visitors at Charleston Southern University, Board of Trustees at Success for Life Foundation (Team Sooner Success) in Oklahoma, and “Strategic Doing” Board of Advisors at Purdue University. Faculty Member of the U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management…teaching “CEO Lessons Learned” and  “Advocacy & Alliances.” He is a Member of the Citadel Mentor Association, the Rotary Club of Charleston, and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Most recent, previous volunteer involvement has included Board of Directors for the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association (ACCE), Carolina Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (CACCE), Maritime Association of South Carolina, Alliance for Regional Stewardship (regional collaboration), and others.


He has been a Certified Chamber of Commerce Executive (CCE) since 1986 and his Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce was named a “Five Star Accredited Chamber” in 2005 and again in 2011, by the U.S. Chamber. In 2007, his Chamber was one of three finalists for “Chamber of the Year” honors with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association (ACCE). In 1999, his Chamber in Oklahoma City received the “Quality Award for Commitment” from the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation. In 1998, his Chamber in Oklahoma City was named in the Top Three Chambers nationally by the National Association of Membership Development (NAMD). He was awarded “Honorary Life Member” status…by CACCE (Carolinas) in 2012…and by ACCE (national) in 2013.


Van Rysselberge is a graduate of the University of Georgia, with a bachelor’s degree (ABJ in 1968) and master’s degree (MA in 1971) in journalism/mass communication. His master’s thesis was on chamber communication programs in metropolitan U.S. cities of 200,000+ population. He served in the U.S. Army as a Signal Corps officer, during the Viet Nam era. Van Rysselberge and his family live on Daniel Island, in Charleston, SC.
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