February 1, 2017
Dear ISEA Members, 

Several months ago, I sent an announcement to you regarding Dan's Shipp intent to retire as ISEA's President, after 24 years of service. The purpose of this note is to provide you with an update regarding the implementation of our recruitment plan to identify a successor for the President's position. 

A Selection Committee has been appointed to facilitate the process and to make a candidate recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The committee members include: 

Sheila Eads - CEO, ERB and Vice-Chair, Board of Trustees (Chair, Selection Committee.) 
Mitch Lewellen - CEO, MCR Safety and Past Chair, Board of Trustees 
Brian Lyons - VP, International Enviroguard and Past Chair, Board of Trustees 
John Kime - Consultant to Avon, Board of Trustees Member 
Eric Beck - Consultant to MSA, Chair, Board of Trustees 

The Selection Committee met face to face in December to interview four professional recruitment firms. All of these firms have extensive experience in recruiting for executive positions in trade associations. I am pleased to announce that Sterling Martin Associates was selected to help us with our Executive Search. They were selected based on their experience, proven track record of success and a fee that brings good value for our members. 

Sterling Martin (SM) has hit the ground running. SM has conducted in-person interviews with a range of association and staff members and the results have allowed us to develop a comprehensive position profile. A common and strong theme has emerged from this process: "We must recruit a leader who is driven to achieve accelerating growth for the association." 

Thanks to the hard and effective work of the ISEA staff and our members, 2016 represented a "breakout year" for the association on several fronts, including unprecedented growth in our membership and training programs. Our goal is to identify a leader who is driven to accelerate that success and to identify new opportunities for growth that are yet to be identified! 

The ISEA President's position has been posted in a network of relevant recruitment locations, and SM has tapped into their considerable network of contacts in search of the right candidate for us. SM has a rigorous and objective candidate vetting process, which will be implemented over the next several months. 

I will provide further updates to you as the process unfolds. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to contact me, or any of your Board members, if you have questions, or need further information regarding this transition. We are here to serve you. 

Sincerely,


 
Eric J. Beck
Chairman, Board of Trustees