CEO Departures

Melancon to retire from accounting group

The Association of International Certified Professional Accountants announced CEO Barry Melancon will retire at year end following 30 years at the $242M-revenue organization. Melacon is also president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs. AICPA and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) merged in 2017 to form AICPA & CIMA. 

“Through Barry’s leadership, we have established the association and optimized the relationship between AICPA and CIMA to lead our global profession into the 2020s and beyond. Barry’s successor will take forward the world’s largest membership base of CPAs and CGMAs, a global platform of advocacy, learning, tools and technology,” said Anoop N. Mehta, former chair of the association and AICPA, who is leading the CEO selection committee.

Melancon joined AICPA as CEO in 1995 before being named CEO of the merged organizations in 2017. 

The board of the association is working with Korn Ferry to find Melancon’s successor. 

CEO Arrivals

Ahearn appointed leader of toy association

The Toy Association announced Greg Ahearn will take over as president and CEO of the $9M-revenue organization, effective June 1. He will succeed Steve Pasierb, who retired in April after leading the group for nearly nine years.

“We believe Greg's diverse and multi-decade toy background in senior roles across top manufacturers and retailers has built a valuable, trusted, and far-reaching network of relationships that will further the Association's objectives both now and as they continue to evolve," said Sharon Price John, chairperson of The Toy Association Board of Directors.

Ahearn previously was chief marketing officer and general manager of global ecommerce at LeapFrog, where he spent four years. Earlier in his career, he spent 12 years at Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us, five years at Hasbro, and three years at Mattel. Most recently, he has been a strategic advisor at Readyland LLC, a company that incorporates interactive AI into children’s books.

Ahearn has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in marketing and finance from the University of Southern California.

Spencer Stuart assisted in the search.

Staff Departures

National Marine Manufacturers Association—Tillie Fowler has left her position as head of government relations, North America at $44M-revenue NMMA to join glasses manufacturer EssilorLuxottica. Earlier in her career, she was senior vice president of advocacy and government relations at the American Academy of Pas and spent six years at Boeing.

Staff Arrivals

American Geophysical Union—Kristen Averyt has been named executive vice president of science at $52M-revenue AGU, effective June 3. She joins the organization from the Executive Office of the President, Council on Environmental Quality, where she was director for drought and western resilience. Previously, she was senior climate advisor to Gov. Steve Sisolak (D-Nev.).

Investment Company Institute—Paul Cellupica has joined $80M-revenue ICI as general counsel. He has spent the past three years as executive vice president and deputy general counsel of U.S. regulatory matters at investment management firm PIMCO. Previously, he spent three years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, most recently as deputy director and chief counsel for the division of investment management.

Motion Picture Association—Jesse Martin has joined $75M-revenue MPA as senior vice president and associate general counsel for content protection and legal affairs. She joins the group from BSA | The Software Alliance, where she spent nearly 11 years, most recently as associate general counsel and senior director of enforcement.

National Association of Manufacturers—Andrea Durkin has been named vice president of international policy of $64M-revenue NAM. She joins the group from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where she was assistant U.S. trade representative for WTO and multilateral affairs for the past two years. 

Recording Industry Association of America—$33M-revenue RIAA recently announced two promotions to its leadership team.

Erin Burr has been promoted to senior vice president of media relations for the company’s Gold and Platinum Program. Prior to joining RIAA in 2022, Burr was vice president of communications for record label Big Machine Label Group, where she spent nearly 12 years. Previously, she was communications director for the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

Matthew Bass is now vice president of research and Gold and Platinum operations. Bass was previously a research manager for RIAA. He previously spent one year as a valuation and financial risk management analyst for professional services firm Navigant Consulting.

U.S. Travel Association—Ryan Propis has been named vice president of security and facilitation for the $29M-revenue U.S. Travel Association. He previously spent eight years at the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently as deputy staff director and general counsel for the Committee on Homeland Security. He was also chief of staff for the Transportation Security Administration, where he worked for three years.