CEO Arrivals

Brown to lead in-house counsel group

Jason L. Brown has been named president and CEO of the $24M-revenue Association of Corporate Counsel, effective Nov. 1. He will succeed Veta T. Richardson, who is retiring after 13 years leading the group.

“We are excited to welcome Jason L. Brown as the new CEO of ACC,” said Cristina Gonzalez, ACC global board chair. “His proven record, global experience and prior dedicated service to ACC make him exceptionally well-suited to meet the needs of the in-house community, navigate risk and drive strategic initiatives.”

Brown joins ACC from GE Appliances, where he has served since 2018 as vice president, general counsel and secretary. Earlier, he was vice president and general counsel at Dyson, associate general counsel at MillerCoors, and director of legal at Pepsi Beverages Company. He also served as executive director and general counsel of the National Association of Minority and Women-Owned Law Firms. He also served on the ACC Chicago Chapter Board of Directors and later as chapter president, as well as a member of the global board of directors.

Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University and a law degree from Howard University School of Law.

Korn Ferry assisted in the search.

Treinen named leader of credit union group

Paul Treinen has been appointed president and CEO of the $15M-revenue World Council of Credit Unions. He had served as interim president since April following the departure of Elissa McCarter LaBorde, who led the group for three years. 

“Seeing the way Paul was so proactive in helping us create a new three-year strategy for the organization; how he presented such a positive view of WOCCU’s future at WCUC 2025; and, perhaps most importantly, the positive feedback we got from staff about his leadership skills — all made us realize we didn’t need to look any further for our next president and CEO,” said Michael Lawrence, WOCCU board chair.

Treinen previously retired from WOCCU in 2023 after seven years as chief operating officer and executive vice president. Earlier, he was vice president of international operations at CUNA Mutual Group, including an expatriate assignment in Australia, and held other senior roles during more than two decades with the company. He also founded TRIA Services, a consulting firm focused on global growth and governance strategies.

Treinen has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Staff Departures

Retail Industry Leaders Association — Blake Harden has left his role as vice president of international trade at $19M-revenue RILA to join advisory services group Washington Council Ernst & Young as a member of its trade practice. He joined RILA in 2020 after serving as trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. Earlier, he spent a decade as a senior attorney at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Staff Arrivals

AARP — Anna E. Banks has joined $1.7B-revenue AARP as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. She was previously senior vice president at Sephora North America, where she led digital transformation and personalization efforts. Earlier, she was chief marketing officer at Fair Trade USA, senior director of marketing at Walmart Global eCommerce, and held digital strategy leadership roles at McCann Worldgroup.

Edison Electric Institute — $96M-revenue EEI announced several additions to its leadership team.

            Rachael Marsh has been named chief legal officer. She was previously vice president of government affairs and managing counsel at Calpine Corp. Earlier in her career, she was a partner at Bracewell, a legal advisor and attorney at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and an associate at Bracewell & Giuliani.

            Emily Schillinger has joined as chief communications officer. She most recently was executive vice president of public affairs at the American Investment Council. She earlier served as senior vice president and vice president of public affairs at AIC, communications director for the House Ways and Means Committee, press secretary for former House Speaker John Boehner, and communications director for Sen. John Barrasso and the Senate Republican Policy Committee.

            Kiel Weaver now serves as EEI’s chief advocacy officer. He was most recently director of environmental policy at NextEra Energy. Previously, he was senior policy advisor and Republican staff director of the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee, associate deputy secretary at the Department of the Interior, assistant to House Speaker Paul Ryan for policy, and staff director of the House Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee.

Finseca — Julie Muldoon has been promoted to chief of staff and senior vice president of public affairs and marketing at $19M-revenue Finseca. She joined the group in 2021 as vice president of public affairs. Earlier, she served as coalitions director and policy advisor in the Office of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and founded SEED Marketing Creations.

            Additionally, Maggie Seidel has been promoted to chief growth officer. She previously was executive vice president and chief of staff and earlier served as senior vice president of public affairs and marketing. Prior to joining Finseca in 2021, she was senior advisor and policy director for the state of South Dakota. She also worked for the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and Consumer Bankers Association.

Motion Picture Association — John Mercurio has been promoted to executive vice president of global communications. He joined $79M-revenue MPA in 2020 as senior vice president and head of communications. Earlier in his career, he was global head of communications and marketing at the International Association for Trusted Blockchain Applications. He also worked for blockchain technology company Bitfury, communications firm Purple Strategies and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.