Ralph J. Nappi will succeed Regis J. Delmontagne as president of NPES The Association for Suppliers of Printing, Publishing and Converting Technologies, the Graphic Arts Show Company and the Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation on January 1, 2006, the organizations have announced. Nappi will join the three organizations as president-elect on October 8. He is currently president of the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association, based in Rockville, Maryland. Nappi joined AMTDA in 1986 and served as director of education and communication from 1986 to 1991, and as vice president from 1991 to 1993. He has been at the organization's helm since 1993. Prior to joining AMTDA, he worked with association management companies in Dayton, Ohio and Washington, DC. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton. In announcing the selection of Nappi, NPES/GASC Board Chair Kathryn Marx, vice president and chief marketing officer with Flint Ink, cited his "solid understanding of the association business. In addition, he has a keen awareness of the trade show business, since AMTDA runs its own shows as well as partnering with others for shows. He is an innovative leader who is well versed in industry trends and drivers, and he looks forward to guiding our industry through the challenges that currently face us." Nappi succeeds Delmontagne, who was the first full-time professional executive at NPES when he joined the association in 1976. He became the founding president of GASC in 1982 and of GAERF when it was created in 1983. At the time he joined the Association, then known as the National Printing Equipment Association in December, 1976, membership was 37 companies; today it is more than 400. He will continue to serve as a consultant to the three organizations after his retirement. "Regis has contributed profoundly to creating the business world we know today," Marx said. "Under his leadership, NPES has become one of America's most innovative associations and has grown dramatically in both membership and programming. Likewise, since its creation, GASC has established such globally respected events as GRAPH EXPO, CONVERTING EXPO, and PRINT05 & CONVERTINGSM05, which have become indispensable technology showcases and sales tools. "In Mr. Nappi, we believe we have found a leader who can continue and expand on this tradition of achievement," she added. Nappi will attend PRINT05 & CONVERTINGSM05 in September as an introduction to the show and the industry.