CEO Departures

Mathews to retire from animal medicine group

The $4.8M-revenue Animal Health Institute announced President and CEO Alexander S. Mathews will retire from the group at year end. Mathews has led AHI since 1995. Previously, he was general counsel for the American Meat Institute.

Ester Banque, chair of the AHI Board, announced the board will appoint a search committee to find Mathews’ successor.

“We seek a leader who will build on AHI’s record of success and help craft a policy environment that strengthens companies’ abilities to bring exciting new innovations to the market,” said Banque. “The animal health industry enables the human animal bond and contributes to sustainability, food safety, pandemic prevention and response, as well as other important societal goals. There are exciting new technologies available to protect the health and welfare of both livestock and our companion animals and we need a science-driven policy environment to realize this potential,” said Banque in a statement.

CEO Arrivals

Ferguson to succeed Pantuso at motorcoach group

The $4.3M-revenue American Bus Association announced Fred Ferguson will succeed Peter Pantuso as president and CEO of the organization, effective July 29. Pantuso announced earlier this year his plans to retire after leading ABA for 28 years. In his new role, Ferguson will also serve as president of the National Bus Traffic Association.

“As we move forward and into this new era for travel and transportation,” said Terry Fischer, chair of ABA’s Board of Directors, “it’s imperative that our members’ voices be heard at all levels of government. Fred’s years of experience in advocacy and communications make him the perfect leader to navigate these new roads ahead.”

Ferguson will join ABA from outdoor sports company Vista Outdoor, where he was most recently vice president of public affairs and communications. Previously, he held the title of vice president of government and industry relations. He also spent eight years at the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served as a chief of staff and legislative director.

He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Utah and a master’s degree in business administration from Oklahoma State University. 

Heidrick & Struggles assisted in the search.

Dustin promoted at accounting group

The $40M-revenue National Association of State Boards of Accountancy announced Daniel J. Dustin will succeed Ken L. Bishop as president and CEO, effective Aug. 1. Bishop, who joined NASBA in 2007 and has led since 2012, announced his retirement plans last November. 

“Dan’s long history and expertise in accounting regulation makes him uniquely qualified to assume the role as president and CEO of NASBA,” said NASBA Chair Stephanie M. Saunders. “I have had the distinct opportunity to collaborate with Dan over the years on key initiatives and programs including the Uniform Accountancy Act, CPA Evolution and Professional Licensure. This is an exciting time for our organization, especially as he will lead NASBA into the future to fulfill the mission of enhancing the effectiveness and advancing the common interests of the 55 U.S. Boards of Accountancy.”

Dustin joined NASBA in 2012 and has held the role of vice president of state board relations since. Previously, he was executive secretary for the New York State Board for Public Accountancy, where he spent 13 years.

He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in accounting from Clarkson University.

Interim CEO named at packaged goods group

The $20M-revenue Consumer Brands Association announced Stacy Papadopoulos, CBA’s chief operating offer and general counsel, will serve as interim CEO of the group starting Aug. 2. Current CEO David Chavern will be joining the American Council of Life Insurers as president and CEO, effective Sept. 1.

Papadopoulos joined CBA in 2019 as general counsel and senior vice president of operations and initiatives before being promoted to COO in 2023. She previously spent five years at the American Gaming Association, most recently as general counsel and senior vice president of industry services. Earlier in her career, she was a partner at Potomac Law Group, where she worked for nearly five years.

CBA has appointed executive search firm Spencer Stuart to lead the search for Chavern’s successor.

Staff Departures

Association for Computing Machinery—Adam Eisgrau has left his role as director of global policy and public affairs of $91M-revenue ACM, where he spent the past six years. He is now senior director of AI, creativity and copyright policy for the Chamber of Progress. Earlier in his career, he was managing director for the Office of Government Relations of the American Library Association.

Staff Arrivals

American Heart Association—Eric Batch, who previously lead $926M-revenue AHA’s advocacy team for Western states, has been promoted to national advocacy vice president for outreach and partnerships at the group.

Motion Picture Association—Marissa Bostick has joined $75M-revenue MPA as senior vice president and head of litigation. She previously spent four years at Amazon, most recently as deputy director of the counterfeit crimes unit.

National Association of State Boards of Accountancy—$40M-revenue NASBA announced several appointments to its leadership team.

Kent A. Absec will be the group’s vice president of state board relations. He has spent the past 12 years as executive director for the Idaho State Board of Accountancy. Previously, he spent 11 years at Wells Fargo Bank, most recently as a learning and development consultant. 

Brenner (Brie) Allen has been named chief legal officer of NASBA. She has spent the past three years as senior legal counsel for U.K.-based consulting firm The Behavioural Insights Team. Her previous roles include regulatory counsel for NASBA, partner at law firm Allen & Pinnix and legal analyst for the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative.

William (Bill) Emmer has been appointed vice president of operations. He has worked as an independent consultant for the past 14 years and was the enterprise program manager of the Uniform CPA Examination, where he oversaw daily operations for NASBA, AICPA and Prometric. Previously, he spent 10 years at Universal Music Group.

Sedrik Newbern will serve as president of the NASBA Center for the Public Trust, as well as chief ethics officer of NASBA. Newbern joined the organization in 2019 as CPT operations director. He became a consultant for the group in 2021. Earlier in his career, he spent 19 years at Allstate.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America—Teresa Buckley Bill has returned to $568M-revenue PhRMA as deputy vice president. She rejoins the group from biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, where she was senior director of federal government affairs. In her previous stint at PhRMA, she was senior director for federal affairs. Earlier in her career, she spent six years at the U.S. House of Representatives.

Semiconductor Industry Association—Carrie Esko has been named $13M-revenue SIA’s director of global policy for trade and supply chain. She joins the group from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where she was most recently director for ICT services and digital trade. Earlier in her career, she spent three years at the U.S. International Trade Commission.

TechNet—Drew Hudson is joining $10M-revenue TechNet as general counsel and director of federal policy. He was previously legislative director for Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).