RESTON, VA—NPES Chairman of the Board Mal Baboyian, EVP, large format solutions/production print solutions for Canon Solutions America, announced that Thayer Long will serve as the next president of NPES-The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies, succeeding Ralph Nappi, who has led NPES for the last 11 years and announced his retirement at the October 2015 board of directors meeting.
“We are delighted that Thayer Long will be joining the Association to lead NPES and the Graphic Arts Show Company (GASC). Thayer brings eight years of effective leadership experience that includes all aspects of association management including strategic plan development, trade show management, government affairs, education and foundation work. He will be a great asset to NPES as we navigate the future waters of our industry.”
In addition to leading NPES and GASC, Thayer will also serve as president of the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF).
Thayer has nearly 20 years of association experience serving most recently as EVP and CEO of the Independent Electrical Contractors, and prior to that as president and CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute. Both organizations are headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
Current NPES President Ralph Nappi said: “Thayer is a good colleague whom I have known for five years; the industry is fortunate to have such a highly qualified professional joining our organization. Thayer possesses the skill set to take NPES, GASC and GAERF to new levels and will bring a high degree of creativity and enthusiasm to our industry. It will be my pleasure to transition the leadership roles of our industry’s key associations and trade shows to him.”
Thayer began his roles on April 28. Ralph has agreed to continue in a transitionary capacity through the end of July.
The national executive recruiting firm of Heidrick and Struggles was engaged to conduct the search, which was directed by a committee that consisted of: Mal; Mark A. Hischar, president & CEO, KBA-North America; Michael Ring, VP, worldwide sales & digital solutions, Gallus Inc.; D. J. Burgess, president/CEO, Burgess Industries, Inc.; and Ralph.