MCLEAN, Va.
The Electronic Retailing Association (ERA) has named longtime association professional Bill Sheehan as its new executive vice president. He will direct the association’s strategy moving forward, as well as manage day-to-day activities at ERA.
Sheehan has more than 27 years of experience in association management. He previously served as the vice president of communications at the National Confectioners Association, where he helped launch the All Candy Expo (now known as the Sweets & Snacks Expo), an event that allows confectionery manufacturers to build and develop better retail relationships. Sheehan also spent time at the Snack Food Association (now SNAC International), serving as vice president of marketing and communications.
More recently, he worked with MultiView, a provider of digital publishing solutions, as well as Naylor and SmithBucklin, both association services firms. Prior to joining ERA, Sheehan formed his own consulting firm to concentrate on association sales and marketing management, business development, revenue generation, engagement and new member recruitment, and retention.
A native of the Washington, D.C., area and a graduate of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., Sheehan currently resides in Round Hill, Va., with his wife, Karen, and three children. In his free time, he enjoys coaching sports for the local schools.
“I’m thrilled to get the opportunity to work in such a vibrant and fast-changing industry,” Sheehan says. “Together with the board, I plan to build upon the advocacy, education, and networking ERA has long provided to its members, and create new opportunities for direct response marketers in the rapidly expanding digital marketplace.”