John Siehl, CFE, ascended to the position of chairman of the board of directors for the International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM) during VenueConnect, the annual conference and tradeshow, in Houston, Texas, July 23-27, 2010.
Siehl began his career in public venue management in 1965 with the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio as an usher. In 1978 he was promoted to assistant general manager, and then general manager in 1982. In June 1990, he opened the Ervin J. Nutter Center as general manager and elevated to executive director in 1996. The Nutter Center is consistently ranked in the top 10 in the nation for venues of its size.
“John brings an extremely high level of commitment and industry knowledge to the Chairman’s position,” said Shura Lindgren-Garnett, CFE, IAAM past chairman. “We have worked closely this past year to ensure and maintain the continuity of the association, and I am looking forward to how he continues to build on our strong foundation.”
Siehl is currently the first vice chair of the association. Past capacities for service include chair of the board of education, chair of the Life Safety Council, chair of the board of governors, co-chair and faculty of the Academy for Venue Safety & Security, and a member of the universities and arenas committees. In addition to his vice chair role he currently serves as the chair of the budget and finance committee.
Wright State University awarded Siehl the presidential award for Excellence in Human Relations in 2001, as well as receiving the Dayton Business Journal’s Corporate Caring award. He received his Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) designation in 1995.
“John has been a tireless advocate for IAAM over the years with most notable leadership significance in the university and arena sector, board of education, and life safety initiatives,” said Dexter King CFE, IAAM president and CEO. “He is truly a passionate contributor to our industry.”
Siehl will be the second person named as chairman of the association. The former office was president, but in accordance with new bylaws the position is now referred to as chairman of the board.
