Two association chief staff executives recently announced their resignations from appointed offices within IAQ marketplace nonprofit organizations.

Kimberly Howard resigned as executive director of the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR International). She served two years as staff leader of the organization subsequent to two years in a support staff role.

Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) Executive Director, Nick Willocks, submitted a letter of resignation to his group's board the same week. Willocks co-founded the association five years ago and was appointed chief staff executive when it went non-profit in 1998. His company, Association Headquarters (AHQ), also provided management services to IAQA.

Both resignations came voluntarily. Howard has accepted a senior position with a trade group in an entirely different industry. Willocks, publisher of Today's A/C News and other trade newspapers, will refocus his energies on his publishing company.

While unrelated, the resignations left both organizations hastening to find replacements. Given just 30 days notice, each association has implemented a plan to identify and hire successors for their executive director positions.

New Executives Found

ASCR quickly retained Glenn Fellman to serve as Interim Executive Director and to lead a search committee to find a new chief of staff. Fellman is publisher of this newspaper.

ASCR's search led them to Larry Jacobson in less than a month. With career experience that includes cleaning and restoration, marketing, non-profit staff leadership, and disaster management, Jacobson's background is particularly very well suited to ASCR. Following a whirlwind series of interviews with ASCR's elected leadership, Jacobson was offered the executive director position in January and has since assumed command of the association.

Jacobson held a series of management positions with ServiceMaster from 1972 to 1984. He started as an on location carpet cleaner and concluded his tenure with the franchise twelve years later as its corporate marketing manager for franchise services. Simultaneous to his last four years with ServiceMaster, Jacobson graduated from The John Marshall Law School and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar.

Subsequent to his time at ServiceMaster, Jacobson spent 10 years in management with the Building Owners and Managers Institute. He served as its president for four years. For the past five and a half years, Jacobson was executive vice president of the National Association for Search and Rescue, a nonprofit organization.

Meanwhile, IAQA has retained IE Communications, publisher of this newspaper, to provide a complete range of professional association management services. IAQA headquarters is being relocated to the Kensington, Md., offices of IE Communications. Glenn Fellman will serve as IAQA Executive Director. Susan Valenti will coordinate IAQA conferences and publications. IE Communications support staff will fill a variety of administrative management positions for IAQA.

The new address, phone, fax and e-mail for IAQA are: 10400 Connecticut Ave., Suite 510, Kensington, MD 20895; phone (301) 962-3805; fax (301) 962-3806; e-mail iaqa@aol.com.

ASCR's Larry Jacobson can be reached at the association's headquarters office in Millersville, Md.; phone (410) 729-9900.