By enhancing its mission statement and guiding principles and developing a new ad campaign, DECA is responding to the changing educational environment and demands of the economy. However, one thing remains the same--the organization's firm commitment to help teachers prepare students for college and careers. Founded as the Distributive Education Clubs of America in 1946, the organization adopted the tagline, "an association of marketing students," and dropped its acronym in 1991 as distributive education programs began to evolve into marketing education programs. Today, DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges across the globe. The new mission statement highlights DECA's connection to four of the 16 career clusters--marketing, finance, hospitality and tourism, and business management and administration.