ACC's member volunteers are the College's greatest asset when it comes to achieving strategic priorities and realizing its mission of transforming cardiovascular care and improving heart health. Member volunteers govern the organization, are the driving force behind the development of educational programming, products and guidelines, and shape ACC positions on both state and federal legislation.

As such, substantial – and largely unprecedented – changes to the College’s governance structure were approved in December 2015 by the ACC Board of Trustees (BOT), with the goal of making the College more nimble, strategic, accountable and reflective of the diversity and breadth within the global cardiovascular community.

Learn more about ACC’s governance structure and processes in the sections that follow.

The ACC's governance structure and processes are based on a set of 11 principles approved by the Board of Trustees to ensure the ability of the College to be nimble, strategic, accountable and inclusive of the diverse needs of the global cardiovascular community. The College is governed by a small, centralized Board that is strategically focused on the ACC's mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health. The BOT is supported by six Board standing committees, with additional committees and councils reporting up to these standing committees and responsible for tactical and operational decision-making related to College programs, policies and products.

After two years of thoughtful discussion and planning, the College in December 2015 approved the principles that started the process of transforming its governance structure and processes – an effort that was phased in through April 2018.

Changes include a reduction in Board size from 31 to 14 members; the creation of six Board standing committees; reduction in BOT officers to president, president-elect, secretary and treasurer; leadership recommendations made by a newly formed Nominating Committee.

View the Leadership Competencies 

View the ACC Authority Matrix: Operationalizing Centralized Authority and Decentralized Decision Making 

View the Leadership Brochure (Updated Jan. 2022) 

The Board of Trustees (BOT) is the centralized governing authority for the ACC and responsible for overseeing decisions related to the College's mission and strategic direction. The president serves as the head of the BOT. The College's current president is Edward T.A. Fry, MD, FACC.

As the College's more than 500 employees work to support the ACC Mission to transform cardiovascular care and improve heart health, they are led by an executive staff leadership team.