CEO Arrivals

Lewellen to lead professional engineers group

Christina Lewellen has been named executive director and CEO of the $9.8M-revenue National Society of Professional Engineers, effective April 6. She succeeds Rodneikka Scott, who has been serving as interim executive director and CEO.

“NSPE’s commitment to service and professional responsibility is clear, and I’m honored to join the organization at this moment,” Lewellen said.

Lewellen joins NSPE from the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools, where she has served as president and CEO since 2019, leading strategic planning, program development and organizational growth. Previously, she was vice president of business development and operations at the Association of Proposal Management Professionals and earlier held senior marketing and communications roles at the National Court Reporters Association and other trade associations.

She holds an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology and a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Geneseo.

Vetted Solutions assisted in the search.

Sittenfeld to lead national parks advocacy group

Tiernan Sittenfeld has been named president and CEO of the $48M-revenue National Parks Conservation Association, effective March 1. She will succeed Theresa Pierno, who is stepping down after more than a decade as chief executive and more than 20 years with the organization.

“Tiernan is a proven leader who has spent her career building coalitions, bridging divides and advancing America’s conservation legacy,” said NPCA Board Chair Sändra Washington. “We believe she is the right leader for this moment and for the future we want to build for America’s national parks.”

Sittenfeld joins NPCA from the League of Conservation Voters, where she has spent more than two decades and currently serves as senior vice president for government affairs. She joined the organization in 2005 as legislative director and has led its government affairs team since 2010. Before joining LCV, Sittenfeld worked as a campus organizer and field director with the Public Interest Research Group and later served as a conservation advocate and co-director of the Heritage Forests Campaign. 

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and environmental studies from Dartmouth College.

Staff Departures

National Association of Broadcasters— Alex Siciliano has departed $72M-revenue NAB, where he served as senior vice president of communications. He has joined tobacco company Altria as senior director of public affairs and public policy, enforcement and brand integrity.

Smart Electric Power Alliance — Beth Eagle is departing $20M-revenue SEPA, effective Jan. 30. Eagle joined the organization in 2013 and most recently served as chief finance and operations officer. She previously held roles as vice president of operations and director of human resources and operations.

Staff Arrivals

Aerospace Industries Association — Katy Summerlin Baron has joined $29M-revenue AIA as senior director of policy communications. She most recently served as a public affairs officer at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, supporting communications and engagement efforts for the federal space agency. Baron previously worked at strategic communications firm DepartmentC and earlier led space marketing and communications at aerospace and geospatial intelligence company Maxar Technologies. 

American Bankers Association — Andrew Ting has joined $175M-revenue ABA as deputy general counsel and executive vice president. He most recently served as chief legal officer and corporate secretary at education technology company Panorama Education. Ting previously held senior legal roles at financial services company Koalafi and has also taught corporate and finance law as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and as a professorial lecturer at the George Washington University Law School.

American Council on Renewable Energy — Alisa Fox has joined $9.3M-revenue ACORE as director of grid campaigns. She most recently served as federal policy manager for the U.S. program at clean energy think tank Rocky Mountain Institute and previously worked on carbon-free cities and states initiatives. Earlier in her career, Fox was an energy engineer at sustainability consulting firm Seventhwave.

            Chris Higginbotham has joined ACORE as vice president of communications. He most recently served as a press officer at the U.S. Energy Information Administration and previously held senior communications and outreach roles at the U.S. Department of Commerce, including with the SelectUSA program. Earlier, Higginbotham worked in public affairs roles at the International Trade Administration and U.S. Commercial Service.

            Colin Meehan has joined ACORE as vice president for grid campaigns. He most recently served as senior director for renewable energy transition at environmental nonprofit World Wildlife Fund and previously was a supervisory program manager in the Grid Deployment Office at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he oversaw federal grid resilience and innovation grant programs. Earlier in his career, Meehan held regulatory and government affairs roles at solar manufacturer First Solar.

            Claire Stirling has joined ACORE as director of events. She most recently held events and convenings roles within the clean energy and sustainability sector, bringing experience in managing large-scale conferences and stakeholder engagement programs supporting renewable energy advocacy.

American Farm Bureau Federation — Jordan Healey has joined $37M-revenue AFBF as director of membership and organization development. She most recently served as a program manager on the training team at energy trade association American Petroleum Institute and previously worked as a project manager at professional development association the Association for Talent Development. Healey was earlier with AFBF for more than four years, including as director of leadership and organizational training.

American Gas Association — Nancy Moon will join $42M-revenue AGA as vice president of membership and strategic development. She previously worked at the American Council of Life Insurers, where she spent nearly 22 years, most recently serving as senior vice president of member relations and deputy corporate secretary.

American Investment Council — Kevin Callahan has joined $26M-revenue AIC as vice president of state government affairs. He most recently served as head of North America government relations at ticket marketplace StubHub and previously spent nearly five years at eBay, where he led state government relations efforts. Earlier in his career, Callahan was director of state government affairs at CompTIA and held government affairs roles at the American Forest & Paper Association.

CTIA – The Wireless Association — Mike Blank has been promoted to director of state legislative affairs at $104M-revenue CTIA. He previously served as a regional policy lead at autonomous vehicle company Nuro and earlier held state government relations roles at coal producer Peabody Energy.

            Karen Harshfield Castro has been promoted to director of certification program operations. She has been with the wireless industry association since 2013, most recently serving as manager of certification program operations, after earlier roles supporting the organization’s certification program.

            Katie Den Boer has been promoted to assistant vice president of policy communications. She has been with the wireless industry association since 2017, most recently leading policy communications on issues including spectrum, infrastructure, privacy and cybersecurity. Before joining CTIA, Den Boer held policy and advocacy roles at financial software company Intuit.

            Matt DeTura has been promoted to senior counsel of external and state affairs. He has been with the wireless industry association since 2012, most recently serving as counsel for external and state affairs. Earlier, DeTura was an associate at law firm Keller and Heckman.

            Jake Lestock has been promoted to director of state legislative affairs. He has been with the wireless industry association since 2018, most recently serving as senior manager of state legislative affairs. Before joining CTIA, Lestock worked at the National Conference of State Legislatures, including as a policy specialist.

            Chris McNamee has been promoted to assistant vice president of government affairs. He has been with the wireless industry association since 2022, most recently serving as director of government affairs. McNamee previously worked on Capitol Hill in senior counsel and staff director roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and earlier served as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

National Association of Counties — Abby Davidson has been promoted to chief research officer at $29M-revenue NAC. She previously served as director of research, policy, and governance studies. Before joining NACo, Davidson spent more than nine years at the Aspen Institute, most recently as director of research and impact for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.

            Additionally, Eryn Hurley has been named chief government affairs officer. She previously served as managing director of government affairs and earlier held roles including associate legislative director covering tax, finance, intergovernmental affairs, and immigration.

National Music Publishers’ Association — Danielle Aguirre has been promoted to chief legal officer and chief operating officer at $19M-revenue NMPA. She will continue overseeing legal and business affairs as well as organizational operations. Aguirre has been with NMPA for 15 years, most recently serving as executive vice president and general counsel. Earlier in her career, she practiced law at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

          Additionally, Charlotte Sellmyer has been promoted to executive vice president of external affairs. She will continue leading songwriter advocacy, public relations, events, the Gold & Platinum Program, and other external activities. Sellmyer has spent more than 11 years at NMPA, most recently as senior vice president of external affairs, and previously worked in communications roles on Capitol Hill, including with the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.

National Pharmaceutical Council — Rebekah Pepper has joined $9.4M-revenue NPC as vice president of communications. She most recently served as a senior vice president and health practice lead at strategic communications firm Adfero. Earlier in her career, Pepper held senior communications roles at public affairs firm Subject Matter.