Executive Director

Clay Tyeryar, MAM, CAE

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Clay Tyeryar, MAM, CAE, Executive Director of IAGSA, areas of expertise include international trade, lobbying, government relations, fundraising, international exhibition management and production, trade missions and financial controls. He serves as president of the American Textile Machinery Association, executive director of the Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition, and staff executive of the International Association of Emergency Managers, and is responsible for day-to-day operations, delivery of programs and services, budget and liaison with respective boards of directors. In addition, Clay is the show manager for EMEX, IAEM’s trade show, which has grown from 25 to more than 250 exhibitors and attendance of more than 1,000 industry professionals. 

He was one of the first graduates of the George Washington University’s Master of Association Management Program, and is a graduate of Gettysburg College with a B.A. in Business Administration. He is a registered lobbyist and has served on the Industry Sector Advisory Committee (ISAC), which advises trade policy makers at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, and develops specific industry position on U.S. trade policy and negotiation objectives. He has led delegations to the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary, Austria, Japan, China, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, most of Europe, Russia, India, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Canada. He is a Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, and enjoys golf, coaching, and family activities. Clay joined ASMI in 1986.

Communications Director

Karen Thompson

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Karen Thompson, Communications Director of IAGSA, has been working with non-profit and trade associations since 1995. In addition to her role as IAGSA’s Communications Director, she manages Web site content for the National Association of State EMS Officials, the International Association of Emergency Managers, the Emergency Management & Homeland Security Expo, the National Association of Government Communicators, the Cyanide Poisoning Treatment Coalition, and the Association of Vacuum Equipment Manufacturers. She is the editor of the monthly IAEM Bulletin for the International Association of Emergency Managers. 

A graduate of Midwestern University with a B.A. in English and journalism, Karen served the State of Texas with Services to the Aged and Disabled from 1974-1989, the last 10 years as supervisor of staff in seven counties, providing Texas Medicaid eligibility and protective services for the aged and disabled. Moving into the realm of technical writing in 1990, Karen held a position as Senior Technical Writer at AmSouth Bank. In 1995, Karen moved to the Washington, D.C. area where she began working in the association management world. She was account manager in the public relations and marketing division of Smith, Bucklin & Associates, where she worked with nearly all of the 45 non-profit and trade associations managed in its Washington office. She served as editor of newsletters, magazines and journals for a variety of associations that included Lamaze International, the Museum Trustee Association, the National Association of Healthcare Access Management, the American Society for Bone & Mineral Research, and the American Society of Hematology. Karen is an active member of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and serves on the Public Relations Advisory Committee for Tamassee DAR School. Karen began working with clients managed by ASMI in 1999.

Membership Coordinator

Kristina Wise

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Kristina Wise is the Membership Coordinator of IAGSA, and she is the staff person to contact for information about joining the association or questions about membership. Kristina graduated in 2006 from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, with a degree in communications. Her focus of study was media production and criticism. Kristina can be reached at info@iagsa.org or by calling 703.533.0251.