- Pai named leader of wireless communications group
- Ajit Pai has been named the next president and CEO of $99M-revenue CTIA – The Wireless Association, effective April 1. He will succeed Meredith Attwell Baker, who plans to retire after over a decade at the helm.
- “Ajit has played a pivotal role in leading our nation’s effort to promote broadband deployment and expand commercial access to spectrum. He is the proven leader we need to head our industry at this critical stage,” said Laurent Therivel, CTIA board chairman.
- Pai will join CTIA from private equity firm Searchlight Capital Partners, where he has been a partner for the past four years. Previously, he spent nearly nine years at the Federal Communications Commission. In 2017, he was named chairman of the FCC by President Donald Trump. Earlier in his career, he worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Senate and was a partner at law firm Jennifer & Block.
- He has a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.
- Korn Ferry assisted in the search.
- Riley to lead railway supply group
- Jim Riley has been named president of the $4.1M-revenue Railway Supply Institute, effective March 31. He will succeed Patty Long, who will step down after over three years at the helm.
- “The RSI board is pleased to welcome Jim Riley, a proven leader with an outstanding track record of driving meaningful results,” said Robert Oesch, chair of the RSI Board of Directors. “Jim brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to excellence, making him the ideal leader to guide RSI into its next chapter.”
- Riley previously spent seven years at the National Waste & Recycling Association, most recently as chief counsel and senior vice president of government affairs. He also served as interim president and CEO from August 2023 to June 2024. Previously, he spent over 16 years at the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association. During his time at NSSGA, his roles included director of government affairs and senior director of government affairs.
- He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from the College of the Holy Cross and a law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
- Smithbucklin assisted in the search.
- Staff Arrivals
- American Wood Council—Heather Stegner has been promoted from vice president of communications and educational outreach to chief operating officer at $9.1M-revenue AWC. Stegner has been with AWC since 2014. Previously, she spent five years at the American Forest & Paper Association, where she served as director of communications.
- Managed Funds Association—Jillien Flores has been promoted from executive vice president and head of global government affairs to chief advocacy officer. She joined $28M-revenue MFA in 2021 as managing director and head of U.S. government affairs.
- National Association of Chain Drug Stores—Marilyn Hunter has been promoted from senior director of meetings and conferences to vice president of meetings and conferences. Hunter joined $40M-revenue NACDS in 1997 as manager of policy, regulatory and legal affairs.
- National Association of Realtors—Nicole Lindler has joined $358M-revenue NAR as director of government advocacy. She previously served as principal deputy executive secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she spent two years.
- National Contract Management Association—Jennifer Covington has been named $9.5M-revenue NCMA’s vice president of learning and development. She joins the group from the American Society of Plant Biologists, where she has spent the past nearly two years as vice president of membership and meetings. Previously, she spent over three years at The Risk Management Association, where she was director of events.
- National Restaurant Association—Leslie Nagao has been named chief marketing officer of the $113M-revenue National Restaurant Association. She most recently served as chief marketing officer of the Urban Land Institute, where she spent over three years. Previously, she spent nearly eight years at oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil, where she most recently was director of strategic partnerships and business development.
- National Venture Capital Association—Diem-Mi Lu has been named vice president of government affairs of $9.3M-revenue NVCA. She joins from the Securities and Exchange Commission, where she served as counsel to Commissioner Jamie Lizárraga. Previously, she was a policy advisor to Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and a senior policy advisor and legislative counsel to Congressman Bill Foster (D-Ill.).
