Sterling Martin Associates Land Executive Director for APRO
October 6, 2017 – Executive search firm Sterling Martin Associates has recently placed Jill McClure as the executive director of the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations (APRO) in Austin, TX. She replaces Bill Keese who retired in July.
Managing partner David S. Martin, along with senior recruiters Leigh Beal and Kahti Motley, led the assignment.
The selection was made after a national search and selection process by Sterling Martin Associates and the APRO search committee.
The organization was seeking a leader with 10 or more years of senior-level management experience in the association sector who also had the ability to oversee the major functional areas of a business, such as administration, finance, membership (program/service benefits), conventions/trade shows, government affairs, training/education, publications, insurance and marketing.
The Right Fit
Ms. McClure has deep expertise in advertising, trade shows and association management. She served as chief operating officer with Colorado Oil & Gas Association for seven years and most recently worked for Texas Association of School Boards. Ms. McClure was also former adjunct professor in marketing and convention & trade show management at Austin Community College. She has experience as an ad agency director and corporate communications consultant serving Fortune 500 tech clients such as Dell, Motorola and Freescale.
Additionally, McClure is a certified association executive. She was named a ‘2013 Innovator’ by American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and is a member of ASAE and the Texas Society of Association Executives. She was formerly with the Colorado Society of Association Executives.
“The great thing about Jill was that she was always the number one candidate throughout the whole process,” said APRO past president Mark Connelly. “From reviewing her resume and then all the interview rounds, she was unanimously the No.1 candidate for everyone on the committee.”
“I will spend the coming months on a listening tour – hearing about member goals, needs and challenges,’ said Ms. McClure. “We will take that information and begin forming a plan of work, and will use the preliminary data to develop our strategic plan.”
APRO, the international voice for the rent-to-own industry, is a non-profit trade association. It provides educational, leadership and professional development opportunities to its members and suppliers. It is also responsible for the protection, promotion and advancement of the rent-to-own industry.
Non-Profit Specialists
Founded in 2006, Sterling Martin Associates focuses on finding leaders for the nation’s associations and non-profit organizations. Over the last seven years, the firm has been engaged by nearly 100 clients throughout the U.S. Its staff consists of 15 professionals located in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, and Costa Mesa.
Sterling Martin recently recruited executive directors for the Chemical Educational Foundation, the Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions, the Texas Society of Association Executives and the Texas Society of CPAs as well as filling CEO roles for the Maryland Food Bank and the American Rental Association. Currently, the firm is seeking new leaders for Easter Seals Serving DC, the Pennsylvania Apartment Association East, Associated Subcontractors of Massachusetts and InsideNGO.
David Martin, the firm’s managing partner, has three decades of professional experience, including national executive search, non-profit leadership, and with Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Prominent non-profit clients have included AARP, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Association of Broadcasters, National Association of Children’s Hospitals, Society for Human Resource Management, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Sister Cities International. He has conducted searches in a broad range of executive leadership positions at the C-suite level, including president and CEO roles, executive directors and chief operating officers.
Trade Associations Turn to Search Firms
A variety of non-profit trade associations have turned to executive search firms in recent months to find new leaders. Here’s a look at a few from the Hunt Scanlon Media newswire archives:
The board of directors search committee of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative (ODEC) announced its selection of CarterBaldwin Executive Search to assist in the identification, evaluation and transition of its next CEO. Chris Guiney, partner and head of the energy and infrastructure practice at CarterBaldwin, is leading the assignment.
JDG Associates has been selected by the Schaumburg, IL-based Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute to find its next president and CEO. Principal Paul Belford is leading the assignment. Founded in 1924, the Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute is a technical institute and standards developing organization.
Executive recruiters Quick Leonard Kieffer placed Stephen J. Lawler as president of the North Carolina Hospital Association. The firm’s partner Jake Barto and principal Mike Quick led the search. The North Carolina Hospital Association, created in 1918, represents more than 130 hospitals.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
