Officers for the PPAI 2021 Board of Directors were selected in June. Dawn Olds, MAS, and Kevin Walsh, CAS, have been named chair-elect and vice chair, financial services, respectively. Also, Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, the Association’s 2020 chair-elect, will assume the role of chair and current Board Chair Ira Neaman, MAS, will serve as immediate past chair in 2021.

The new board officers will begin their one-year terms immediately following The PPAI Expo 2021, which will run January 11-13, 2021.

“Todd, Dawn and Kevin are extremely capable leaders and business executives who have added much to the PPAI board. I look forward to their ongoing contributions,” says Neaman.

Pottebaum is president of distributor Quality Resource Group, Inc., in Plymouth, Minnesota. He has spent more than 20 years in the promotional products industry and has served as a member and chair of the PPAI Market Research Committee, and as a speaker at several PPAI Expo education events. He is currently the PPAI board liaison to the Government Relations Action Committee and is a member of the Association’s Distributor Foresight Committee and the Executive Committee. As a member and former board president of the Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals (UMAPP), he was also named UMAPP Volunteer of the Year in 2015.

“Thomas Edison once said that ‘opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.’ PPAI’s board of directors, staff and strategic partners are heavily engaged in an iterative strategic planning process that’s designed to uncover new opportunities for you, the industry and the Association,” says Pottebaum. “I’m looking forward to building on the work of past boards while working alongside Dawn and Kevin and the current board to deliver meaningful opportunities in 2021.”

Olds is senior vice president of operations for distributor HALO Branded Solutions, Inc., in Sterling, Illinois, and has been in management for more than 20 years, overseeing three focus areas including accounting, information technology and general operations. Her career highlights include mentoring dozens of professionals within the HALO organization. Outside the industry, she volunteers for Junior Achievement, provides mentoring for a high school entrepreneur program and is an active member of the Women’s Professional Network. She has volunteered in the industry for several years and is currently the PPAI board liaison to the Public Relations Advisory Group and the Distributor Foresight Committee.

Walsh, president of supplier Showdown Displays in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has been with the company for almost nine years and has held several leadership roles with the organization. His background includes positions with numerous industry suppliers, including New Buffalo Shirt Factory, Lee Printwear, VF Imagewear and Wrangler Jeans and Shirts. Walsh is currently the board liaison to the Editorial Advisory Committee and the Supplier Foresight Committee.

The board officer appointments were made with thoughtful and careful deliberation by the PPAI Board Officer Nominating Committee in accordance with the Association’s bylaws, and the selection is supported by the entire PPAI board. PPAI Immediate Past Chair Brittany David, MAS, led the nominating committee. She adds, “I look forward to Todd, Dawn and Kevin’s leadership and know they will do amazing things for the Association.”

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

James Khattak is news editor of PPB.