A longtime member of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau (CTCSB), which markets the state’s meeting and sports venues along with hotels, was elected Chair, according to Bureau officials.
Replacing the former Chair is Peter J. Berry, a 30-year resident of West Hartford, Conn, who also participated on the Bureau’s Executive Board for a long period. Departing the role is Robert F. Flynn, who will complete three years of leadership in that position. 
“Berry has been a tremendous advocate of the mission of the Connecticut Convention & Sports Bureau and the former Greater Hartford Convention & Visitors Bureau,” explained Michael Van Parys, president, CTCSB. “As an association executive himself, he has extensive expertise in our industry and will provide great leadership as we continue to market the entire state as a prime location for conventions, conferences, meetings and sports events.”
Bringing more than 30 years of association management experience to the CTCSB, Berry founded association management firm Association Resources, Inc. (AR) in 1983, and he reduced his management responsibilities when he stepped down as president of AR in fall 2012. He currently works part-time on various client projects.
Serving as an executive director for various organizations, Berry was chief staff officer for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) from1984 to 2012 and for the International League Against Epilepsy from 1997 to 2012. He also was appointed the first executive director of the Connecticut Police Chiefs Association in 1978.
As a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Berry participates in ASAE’s Public Policy Committee and other ASAE committees, and he served as Chair of the 1996 Annual Meeting Advisory Committee and the Evaluation Committee. Berry also is a Past President of the Connecticut Society of Association Executives (CSAE).
Berry served on the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA)’s Small Business Advisory Committee from 1997 to 2004. He was an elected delegate from Connecticut to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1995. From 1973 to 1982, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut State University System – the governing board for the four State universities, first appointed by Gov. Thomas Meskill and later reappointed by Gov. Ella Grasso. He also sat on the Connecticut Board of Higher Education from 1977 to 1979, a position he attained through election by the State University trustees.
He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Central Connecticut State University and earned a graduate degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University. Berry is a Past President of the Central Connecticut State University Alumni Association and the Kingswood-Oxford School Parents Association.
