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Edward B. Rust, Jr., elected vice chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce by its board of directors, succeeds former vice chairman John Ruan of Ruan Transportation Management, who is now chairman of the board of directors.

“Ed is a leader on almost every major issue the Chamber has been working on,” said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Thomas J. Donohue. “He is always the first person to step up to the plate to offer his time and energy to this institution.”

Rust gave the SMU Dedman School of Law Hooding Ceremony Address last year, discussing the evolving nature of law and how the practice has changed since his own graduation.

Rust currently serves as chairman of the board and CEO of State Farm. He joined the company’s Dallas regional office in 1975 and became president and chief executive ten years later, holding his position as chairman of the board for the past 23 years. Rust is also on the boards of America’s Promise Alliance, The James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, and Achieve, Inc. Former chairmanships include American Enterprise Institute, Financial Services Roundtable, National Alliance of Business, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Business-Higher Education Forum, and Business Roundtable’s Education Initiative.