FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jamie Herring
Phone: (240) 235-0271
Email:jamie@associationtrends.com

BETHESDA, MD (January 11, 2019) – Matt Shay, President and CEO of the National Retail, has been selected as the 2019 Association Executive of the Year. This honor will be presented at the 40^th Annual Salute to Association Excellence hosted by Association TRENDS.

“Matt’s commitment to the association industry, his staff, and members is well known as evidenced by the numerous nominations and endorsements he received during the selection process. As we celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Salute to Association Excellence, we could not think of a more deserving recipient of its highest honor," stated Brittany Carter, President, Association TRENDS.

As president and CEO of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, Matthew Shay serves as chief advocate and spokesman for the nation’s largest private-sector industry employer, responsible for supporting one in four U.S. jobs — 42 million working Americans — and generating $2.6 trillion in annual GDP. Since his arrival in 2010, Shay has transformed NRF into Washington’s most powerful voice supporting the retail industry. Under his tenure membership has grown by more than 150 percent, including more than 18,000 companies; revenue has more than doubled; and the organization’s influence has grown significantly in Washington, across the United States and globally.

Shay has led the organization to new levels of effectiveness on policy issues, including tariffs and sales tax fairness. Shay has also been at the forefront of shifting and framing the narrative about the current state of retail, particularly its digital evolution and vibrant, multichannel future.

He serves as chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Association Committee of 100 and is a member of the board at the U.S. Chamber, So Others Might Eat and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.

Shay is a graduate of Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and The Ohio State University College of Law, and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Shay and his wife Allison live in Arlington, Va., with their three children.

Shay will be honored at the TRENDS 2019 Salute to Association Excellence, March 22^nd, at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC. Details: http://www.associationtrends.com/salute-to-association-excellence/.

Also, to be honored at the TRENDS Salute will be 2019 Association Partner of the Year, the 2019 Young and Aspiring Association Professionals; the 2019 Leading Lobbyists and the winners of the 2018 TRENDS All Media Contest, the most watched and respected competition for association communications in the country. For more information on the Salute, visit http://www.associationtrends.com/salute-to-association-excellence/. 

For a complete biography, go to www.AssociationTRENDS.com/salute/honorees. 

Association TRENDS provides the association industry with insight, guidance, and support through data services, events, training, and specialized reporting.