ACCE ORGANIZATION
ACCE STAFF
Home Office
300 Decker Drive
Suite 330
Irving, TX 75062
972-600-8800
Steve Nellis
President/CEO
Steve Nellis joined American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) as President/CEO in May 2019. He has had an active role in the ACCE since 2003 when he was selected as the National Association of Home Builders representative to the ACCE Board of Trustees. In the ensuing years, Steve served on various ACCE Committees and Visiting Teams to verify the reaccreditation of Construction Management Degree programs. Elected Vice-Chair of the ACCE Board of Trustees in 2007, he became Board Chair in 2009-2011. Steve is dedicated to supporting and promoting construction management education for the benefit of industry and academia. ACCE is flourishing under his steadfast guidance.
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Steve brings more than 40 years of experience in management for professional construction firms and industry associations. This includes executive-level leadership in operations and human resources roles for the publicly traded firms Centex Homes and Waypoint Homes. Steve also founded a home building company specializing in sustainably constructed, energy-efficient homes and has operated a construction management and consulting firm. Steve’s past clients include the National Housing Endowment, The Home Builders Institute, Cambridge Homes, and Highlander Training Center.
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Steve earned his Bachelor of Science (BS) in Building Construction Management from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Construction Management (MCM) from East Carolina University.
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Steve is an avid fan of the Detroit sports teams and his alma mater, Michigan State University (selected as Distinguished Alumnus in 2009). Steve also enjoys bowling, playing racquetball, and learning new technology.
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Dr. Sherry Miller
Manager of Accreditation, Certification & Membership
Dr. Sherry Miller is a higher education executive respected as an expert in curriculum development, accreditation, and compliance. She joined ACCE in December 2021 as the Accreditation, Certification, and Membership (ACM) Manager.
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Sherry has more than a decade of experience in Higher Education Administration. Most of her tenure was at St. George’s University in Grenada as the Associate Director of Curricular and Student Assessment and Institutional Analytics. She has also worked as a senior growth and strategy analyst and has recently been an independent accreditation consultant.
Dr. Miller holds multiple degrees, including a doctorate in Education from the University of New England. She attended Louisiana State University as an undergraduate and earned a graduate degree as an LSU Tiger. She then obtained two additional graduate degrees from Abilene Christian.
Sherry lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband, Mike. Together they have two children. They enjoy LSU sports, and they love to travel!
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Michael R. Copp
Workforce Development
Michael R. Copp I​s currently providing workforce development consulting to ACCE, and recently provided Business Intelligence reports for the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors association (PHCC) members, and state and local PHCC chapters for the last two years. Prior to that, Michael was PHCC’s Chief Executive Officer from 2015 through 2021. His team provided legislative and regulatory advocacy, delivered content about best practices and industry trends, and developed and offered education, professional development, and training to approximately 3,300 plumbing and HVACR open shop and union p-h-c contractors who employ roughly 65,000 technicians.
Previously, Michael held various senior leadership positions to include Chief Operating Officer with the American Retirement Association, Senior Vice President of Education at the National Association of Home Builders, and Managing Director of Professional Practice at the American Institute of Architects. He also served in leadership and management positions in manufacturing, construction and design-build enterprises; with roles in product sales, manufacturing engineering, product management, customer service, and drafting and design.
Copp was a member of numerous boards including the HVACR Alliance, HVACR Workforce Development Foundation Board of Trustees, International Emerging Technology Symposium Steering Committee, Plumbing Industry Leadership Coalition, and the PHCC Association Executives Council.
Michael taught graduate and undergraduate management and organizational development degree-courses for theUniversity Of Phoenix and was a regular guest speaker for the University of Washington’s Design Firm Leadership and Management Program. He holds a duel Master’s degree in Management and Human Resources, an undergraduate degree in Industrial Science, and an Associate’s degree in drafting and design. Michael also served in the United States Army.
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Chip Mansfield
Consultant - Marketing and Business Development
Chip Mansfield is a respected business growth professional in the fields of marketing strategy, sales, and operations and principle owner of KAIROS Marketing, LLC. He joined ACCE as a consultant in 2019 and is currently an Individual Member and on the ACCE Board of Trustees. He also participates in three ACCE committees including Marketing & Communications, CWE, and Industry Liaison. He has also been a member in training on two Visiting Teams.
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Chip has owned and operated businesses for more than 30 years eventually taking that knowledge and experience to small business and non profit clients. Helping them to navigate the waters of strategic growth and eventual success.
After growing up in the construction field, studying Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chip earned a Bachelor Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
Chip lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with his wife Jill and a small zoo of dogs and cats. Together they have two daughters, two son in laws and three grandchildren. Travel, woodworking, and classic car restoration are considered his hobbies. Oh, and, GO HORNS!
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