ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership will honor David N. Parker, CAE, president and CEO of the American Gas Association (AGA), with this year’s Key Award; David G. Gabri, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI), with the Academy of Leaders Award; and R. Norris Orms, MBA, FACHE, CAE, executive vice president and COO of the Healthcare Information & Management Systems Society (HIMSS), with the Professional Performance Award. The awards will be presented at ASAE & The Center’s 2010 Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 21-24 in Los Angeles.
“This year’s leadership awards are going to some of the most deserving association and industry leaders,” said Susan Bitter Smith, CAE, executive director of the Arizona-New Mexico Cable Communications Association and chairman of the 2010 Awards Committee. “Their commitment to the association community and dedication to the profession has been demonstrated with decades of experience and countless contributions to their respective organizations and the entire industry. I’m proud to serve ASAE and the profession along with Dave Gabri, Dave Parker and Norris Orms, who are an inspiration to all.”
David N. Parker, CAE is the 161st recipient of the Key Award, ASAE & The Center’s highest honor bestowed upon association chief staff executives. The Key Award honors the association CEO who demonstrates exceptional qualities of leadership in his or her own association, and displays a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations as a whole. This year’s winner will become part of the award’s rich heritage of recipients who have been recognized since 1960.
Parker joined the AGA in 1997. As president and CEO, he is responsible for representing 191 local energy utility companies that deliver natural gas. Prior to joining the AGA, Parker was president of the Aluminum Association, a position he held since 1989. Previously, Parker spent nine years managing public policy issues for the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) where he was responsible for corporate affairs and government relations. In 1997, Parker served as chairman of the ASAE board of directors and has served in several volunteer positions with committees such as KIAC, APAC and the Leadership Committee. Most recently, he was awarded the Leadership Visionary Award from the Alliance to Save Energy.
David G. Gabri is the 23rd recipient of the Academy of Leaders Award, ASAE & The Center’s highest honor given to industry partners who have demonstrated exemplary support of ASAE & The Center and the entire association community.
Gabri leads and manages ALHI, a national sales organization serving the association and corporate meetings and conventions marketplace throughout North America. Previously, he served as executive vice president for Tishman Hotel Corporation and executive vice president and partner at Buena Vista Hospitality Group. He has served on ASAE & The Center’s AAA, International and Branding committees. He holds a degree in marketing and finance from Syracuse University and is chairman of the MPI Foundation Board of Trustees, and is on the international board of directors for MPI.
R. Norris Orms, MBA, FACHE, CAE is the 36th recipient of ASAE & The Center’s Professional Performance Award, which recognizes invaluable contributions made by association executives who are at the top level within their organizations but are not CEOs.
With more than 31 years of experience in association management, Orms manages HIMSS Corporate Services of communications, publishing, human resources, marketing, meeting services, its headquarters and other U.S. and global facilities, and HIMSS Foundation, its philanthropic organization. Before joining HIMSS in 1997, he was executive director of the National Safety Council’s Foundation for Safety and Health, a U.S. philanthropic organization located in Chicago. Orms holds a Masters of Business Administration degree. He is board-certified in healthcare management, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a Fellow of ASAE & The Center.
