SAAGNY Appoints New Executive Director

The board of directors of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Riegel, MAS, as executive director of the association effective immediately. Riegel will also serve as the executive director of the affiliated nonprofit SAAGNY Foundation.

Riegel has been a promotional products distributor for 16 years and an active SAAGNY volunteer for the past 15 years. As a volunteer, he served on and chaired many association committees, including Membership, Programs & Meetings, Legal Affairs and PROMOTIONS EAST. In 2002, he was elected to the SAAGNY board of directors, ultimately serving as president in 2009.

SAAGNY president Paula Shulman, CAS, remarked, "We are excited to welcome Jon to our staff. He has as intimate understanding of our association that very few possess, and at the same time the creativity to lead us forward. I am confident he is the right choice for now and the future. Few volunteers have committed as much time to SAAGNY as Jon has and we know that his dedication and passion will serve him well as our new executive director."

"I am grateful to the current board for having the faith in me to lead SAAGNY into the future," Riegel said. "SAAGNY has a long, proud tradition of innovation and excellence within the promotional products community. I look forward to working with the current board and all our dedicated volunteers to develop creative solutions to today's challenges and continue that legacy. SAAGNY and the SAAGNY Foundation have been a very meaningful part of my life for the past 15 years. Both organizations are facing significant challenges, and both boards will undoubtedly be successful in meeting those challenges. I am thrilled to be in a position to help both groups reach new heights."

Ellen Bernstein, MAS, chairperson of the SAAGNY Foundation board of trustees, commented, "I am sorry to lose Jon as a Foundation volunteer but we know he will be a great asset to the Foundation as our executive director."