The board of directors of the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA) today announced that Ken Hooper, President and CEO, will retire from his role in June 2019. Hooper has served as NEMRA’s leader since 2009.
“Ken has been a visionary leader and under his direction NEMRA has grown its membership, introduced numerous innovative programs, and propelled our annual conference to be the largest and most productive meeting in the electrical industry,” said Joe Tumlin, chairman of NEMRA in a press release. “We will miss his advocacy of the independent representative sales model but are confident our succession plan will yield a leader fully capable of maintaining our momentum.”
“With this announcement, the Board has activated a search to be conducted by a leading executive recruitment firm. Over the coming months we will be actively engaged in assessing candidates for the position,” said Fran Pollart, NEMRA’s incoming chairman and head of the search committee, in the press release. “We are focused on finding a dynamic new leader who will work with Ken to ensure a flawless leadership transition,” added Pollart.
Hooper was the subject of a 2012 Electrical Wholesaling cover story on the new services and educational programs he was launching at NEMRA.