Through the Noise

John Bode is President & CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, the trade association representing the corn milling industry. Born in Oklahoma City, John was educated at the United States Naval Academy and the University of Oklahoma, receiving his B.A. in 1977, as well as receiving his J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 1983. The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade...

Ryan Conrad is CEO of the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors®, one of the largest regional Realtor® Associations in the United States, with approximately 12,000 members who transact over $13 billion in sales annually in the D.C. metro area. Formerly the CEO of the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors® in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Conrad was a member and President of the Lower Macungie Township Boa...

Nancy Farrell Allen, of Farrell Dietitian Services, has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for decades; always advocating for better health through better eating patterns. She has served as a nutrition representative on two Governor of Virginia Health Councils; on Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman's Health Advisory Board; has given numerous national media interviews; runs a Medical Nutrition...

After 20+ years working with fortune 500 organizations, Dana Wright-Wasson has developed deep expertise in employee experience. As a recognized speaker and author, Dana travels the world sharing the importance of intentional employee experience design, purpose-driven leadership, and effective talent-management, using stories and data from diverse industries. Take Action Inc. helps organizations un...

With more than three decades of experience in the construction industry, Michael Bellaman has been the president and chief executive officer of Associated Builders and Contractors since 2011. In this role, Bellaman leverages the merit shop philosophy to help ABC members develop people, win work and deliver that work safely, ethically and profitably for the betterment of the communities in which th...

Deborah M. Hamlin, MBA, CAE, FASAE, is chief executive officer of the Irrigation Association has over 30 years of experience in working with professional and trade organizations. The Irrigation Association, representing irrigation equipment and system manufacturers, dealers, distributors, designers, consultants and contractors, in the agricultural, commercial-residential, and golf and sports turf...

Naren Aryal is the co-founder and publisher of Mascot Books and Amplify Publishing. After starting his career as a Washington lawyer, Naren launched Mascot Books in 2003 with the publication of his first book. As an author himself (How to Sell a Crapload of Books: 10 Secrets of a Killer Author Marketing Platform), Naren appreciates the opportunities and challenges facing storytellers. As a publish...

Shannon Roche, President & Chief Executive Officer of Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Foundation has been a yoga student for nearly 20 years. Her career has centered around driving social impact by bringing mainstream institutions' strengths to bear in support of initiatives that bring communities and coalitions together for the greater good. Prior to joining Yoga Alliance and the Yoga Alliance Fo...

Angela Cain is Chief Executive Officer of CoreNet Global, the world's leading professional association for corporate real estate (CRE) executives engaged in the strategic management of their corporations' real estate portfolios. Ms. Cain was appointed CEO in 2010, bringing with her a strong combination of association management experience and first-hand knowledge of the real estate industry. She h...

Peggy Smith SCRP SGMS-T is President and CEO of Worldwide ERC®, and is a global leader with a keen eye for mobility trends and fresh concepts in workforce solutions. Peggy has guest-lectured on talent mobility at Georgetown University and Seattle University, is a frequent keynoter and contributor at mobility and HR-related conferences and often-quoted thought leader on forbes.com. Worldwide ERC ®...

Melissa Hockstad joined the American Cleaning Institute as the President & CEO in January 2017. She is responsible for the overall leadership of ACI including advocacy, science and research, communications, consumer education, sustainability, financial oversight and member engagement. The American Cleaning Institute® is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $60 billio...

Kate Penn is CEO of the Society of American Florists, where she's spent the majority of her career, focused primarily on the publishing, content and education until November 2017, when she was tapped to be CEO. She has a bachelor's of science degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University, is a mother of two grown daughters and lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband. The Society...

Thomas W. Derry is Chief Executive Officer of the Institute for Supply Management® in Tempe, Arizona, and has substantial experience in product development, cross-border acquisitions and foreign joint ventures, strategic restructuring and developing profit-generating strategic alliances. He holds a bachelor of science degree in foreign relations from Georgetown University, is a member of the Dean'...

Mark Dorsey, CAE, FASAE, is CEO of the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), an Alexandria, Virginia association serving 7,500 members nationwide. Earlier in his career, he served PSIA-AASI and the National Ski Patrol concurrently as Marketing Director and later as Assistant Executive Director, and ultimately CEO, during which, PSIA-AASI saw record membership growth, record revenue, and awa...

Jeff Tenenbaum is one of the nation's leading nonprofit attorneys, and also is an accomplished author, lecturer, and commentator on nonprofit legal matters. As Chair of the nonprofit practice in the Washington, DC office of the Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss law firm, Jeff counsels his clients on the broad array of legal issues affecting trade and professional associations, charities, and other n...

Peter J. Pantuso is President and CEO of the American Bus Association (ABA). As CEO he is responsible for the Association's day-to-day operations, in addition to his role at ABA, he also serves as President of the National Bus Traffic Association and of the ABA Foundation. Founded in 1926, ABA is the oldest, largest and most respected voice in the industry in the motorcoach, travel and tour indust...

Aliyah N. Horton, CAE, is the Executive Director of the Maryland Pharmacists Association. She proudly served in the association community for more than 20 years in foreign policy, transportation and healthcare. The Maryland Pharmacists Association is a professional society for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and student pharmacists who live or practice in Maryland.

Jeff Cohen is an accomplished strategic communication counselor with over 25 years of extensive experience at the intersection of communication, business and politics. He currently heads all aspects of communications, marketing, and government relations for INFORMS -- the largest trade association of data science professionals. With 12,500 members, INFORMS is the largest association of operations...

Joseph Mariano joined the Direct Selling Association in 1985 and assumed the role of President in 2011. Previously, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. The Direct Selling Association (DSA) is the national trade association for companies that market products and services directly to consumers through an independent, entrepreneurial sales force.

Merrill Shugoll is president and a principal of Shugoll Research. She is a widely respected marketing research consultant with over 30 years of experience conducting qualitative and quantitative research that helps to shape the strategic planning and marketing communications of corporations, not-for-profit organizations, trade and professional associations and government agencies. Shugoll Research...

Kris Kiser, an attorney, is President & CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). Prior to joining OPEI, Kris served for 15 years in two major Washington, DC trade associations. He also spent a decade as a staffer in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as a special assistant to noted international affairs expert, Congressman Lee Hamilton. The Outdoor Power Equipment In...

David Chavern is President & CEO of the News Media Alliance, the news industry's largest trade organization. The News Media Alliance is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization, representing more than 2,000 news organizations and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and globally, focused on ensuring the future of news media through communication, research, advocacy and innovati...

American Moving & Storage Association President and CEO Scott Michael leads and represents the professional moving industry's national trade association, and has been the industry's primary liaison to the Department of Defense, GSA and other government agencies in his career. The American Moving & Storage Association, the national trade association for the professional moving industry, supports co...

Before becoming CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association, Reid Ribble served six years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Additionally, he was president of his own roofing company in Kaukauna, Wis., for 30 years and devoted 25 years of service to NRCA, including serving as NRCA President from 2005-06. Founded in 1886, the National Roofing Contractors Association is one of the constru...

Pete Pearson is a Sr. Director at WWF leading work on food loss & waste, helping businesses and communities understand agriculture's impact on wildlife and habitat conservation. Pete has worked with retailers, public schools and hospitals as a sustainability professional, co-founded a sustainable agriculture non-profit in Idaho, and co-produced a documentary film on local and regenerative agricult...