ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA (June 26, 2002) – Jerry Williamson, Chairman of the Board of the Graphic Arts Technical Foundation (GATF) and Chuck Stay, the Chairman of the Board of the Printing Industries of America (PIA) have announced the appointment of Michael Makin as Chief Executive Officer for both organizations, effective August 1, 2002. "Michael was selected from a field of over 350 candidates for the position and brings 16 years of trade association management experience to the job, seven of which are in the printing industry," noted Stay. "His stellar leadership as President of the Canadian Printing Industries Association and most recent service as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of PIA were leading factors in his selection as our new CEO." Williamson noted that, "this marks the final major step in the consolidation of GATF and PIA and we have great confidence that a single CEO will help us realize the full promise of our organizations." "GATF and PIA offer such tremendous resources to the industry. I look forward to developing a clear vision for our consolidated organizations. I am also excited about the opportunity to work with our elected leadership, affiliates and staff to position GATF/PIA as the premier value proposition of the graphic communications industry," said Makin. Makin, a native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, holds an honors degree in journalism from Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario). He began his association management career in 1986 with the Canadian Construction Association (CCA). Over a nine-year period, he assumed increasing levels of responsibility at CCA, ultimately becoming the association’s Deputy Chief Staff Executive. In 1995, Makin was appointed President of the Canadian Printing Industries Association, a position he held until becoming Chief Operating Officer of PIA in January of 2001. He was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of PIA in November 2001. Makin is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives and is a past national president of the Alumni Association of Carleton University, where he also served on the university’s Board of Governors and Senate. He and his wife, Maureen, have a five-year-old daughter, Emma.