CEO Departures

Besore to retire from monitoring group

The Monitoring Association announced Celia T. Besore will be retiring as CEO of the $2.4M-revenue group, effective July 18. 

“Her dedication to the monitoring industry has left a lasting impact on our members and partners in the security industry, public safety, and law enforcement. As a result of her competent leadership, TMA is positioned for continued success. The TMA Board deeply thanks Celia for her service to TMA and our industry,” said TMA President Steve Butkovich.

Besore joined TMA in 2017 as vice president of membership and programs before being named CEO in 2018. Previously, she served as executive director and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses. She also was vice president of marketing and programs at the Central Station Alarm Association and director of marketing and communications for the Foodservice Packaging Institute.

CEO Arrivals

Melchi to helm lighting group

The $2.2M-revenue American Lighting Association announced Jon Melchi has been named the group’s next president and CEO, effective June 16. He succeeds Larry Lauck, who retired earlier this year after more than 27 years with the group.

“After completing a comprehensive search over the last few months, we are thrilled to welcome Jon as our new ALA President & CEO,” said Cathy Choi, head of the ALA executive search committee. “The committee focused on finding a strong leader with significant trade association experience and an ability to drive transformation. Jon stood out among a group of highly qualified candidates, and we are confident that his leadership and the board's guidance will position ALA for future success and growth."

Melchi has spent the past nearly eight years at the Building Industry Association of Central Ohio, where he served as executive director. Previously, he spent over seven years at HARDI (Heating, Air-conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International), most recently as vice president of government and external affairs.

He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from The Ohio State University.

Staff Departures

National Multifamily Housing Council—Lisa Costello is retiring as vice president of political affairs at $27M-revenue NMHC, where she spent over 11 years. She also spent nearly 13 years at the American Hotel & Lodging Association, most recently as vice president of government affairs.

Staff Arrivals

Blockchain Association—The $7.3M-revenue Blockchain Association announced several promotions at the group.

            Curtis Kincaid is now the group’s chief marketing officer. He joined the Blockchain Association in 2021 as director of communications before being named executive vice president of marketing and communications two years later. Previously, he spent five years at the Consumer Technology Association, where he most recently served as manager of strategic communications.

             Allie Page has been promoted to chief operating officer. She has been with the group since 2022, when she joined as chief of staff. She previously spent over four years at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, most recently as director of operations.

            Sarah Milby has been named chief policy officer. She joined the group in 2020 as policy manager. She has since held the roles of senior policy manager, senior policy director, head of policy and interim CEO. 

            Dan Spuller is now executive vice president of industry affairs. He began as a consultant with the group in 2020 before being named director of industry affairs the following year. Prior to his most recent promotion, he served as senior director of industry affairs. 

National Association of Realtors—Two staff have been hired to $358M-revenue NAR’s strategic communications team.

            Bennett Richardson is the group’s new senior vice president of marketing and communications. He joins NAR from news platform Semafor, where he served as general manager and global head of public affairs. Previously, he was director of policy brand marketing at Google. Earlier in his career, he also worked for media companies Protocol and Politico.

            Raffi Williams is now NAR’s vice president of communications. He was most recently a vice president at the Managed Funds Association. Previously, he was a senior vice president at financial communications company Edelman Smithfield. He also worked for the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

National Restaurant Association—The $113M-revenue National Restaurant Association announced two additions to its leadership team. 

            Karl Dahlgren has been named chief product officer. He joins the group from the National Safety Council, where he served as executive vice president. He previously spent a decade at financial services company BAI, most recently as managing director of strategy.

            Judy Mulcahy has been appointed chief operating officer. She most recently was chief operating officer of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, where she spent over five years. She also served as vice president of operations, finance and strategic planning for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers before it became AAI in 2019.