NSSF Staff Directory

Executive

Prior to becoming President and CEO of the NSSF in May, 2008, Steve culminated his 28 year career at Ruger with a five year term as its President and Chief Operating Officer. He has served on the boards of the NSSF, SAAMI, the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, the World Forum on the Future of Sport Shooting Activities, and the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation. A hunter and target shooter since his college years on the VMI Rifle Team, he is an avid firearms collector, NRA Certified Rifle, Pistol and Home Firearms Safety Instructor, and a Technical Advisor to the Association of Firearm and Tool Mark Examiners. He is the recipient of the 2004 Shooting Industry Academy of Excellence Award.

With over 26 years of industry sales and marketing experience, Chris oversees all NSSF customer recruitment programs, business development, communications and the industry's largest trade show, the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade exposition. His experience includes iconic brands such as Colt, Smith & Wesson, Fenwick, Woodstream and Berkley fishing. He is a lifelong shooter and hunter and shares this passion with his two daughters and nephew. Chris is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America.

Larry joined NSSF in 2000 and is senior vice president, assistant secretary and general counsel to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. With more than 20 years of legal experience including over 15 years representing members of the industry, Larry is responsible for all of NSSF's legal, government relations and risk management functions. He serves as the firearms industry's chief spokesperson for legal, legislative and regulatory matters. He has been appointed to the Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG) which advises the U.S. State Department on export policies. He is also a member of the policy steering committee of the National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucus (NASC). He also serves as the general counsel and corporate secretary to the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI), where he is also the chairman of its Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee. Larry is a graduate of the Fordham University School of Law. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Fordham University.

Nancy joined the NSSF in 1990. She was named NSSF's first ever Vice President in 1999. With nearly 40 years of accounting and management experience, Nancy oversees all NSSF financial, technical and operations functions. Nancy and her staff of 10 provide in-house accounting and technology solutions for NSSF and SAAMI's operations. Nancy also serves as Assistant Treasurer of NSSF and Treasurer of SAAMI.

Deb joined the NSSF in 1996 as the Foundation's first Human Resources Director. With more than 20 years experience leading human resources initiatives Deb oversees all human resources and administrative operations for the Foundation. Her responsibilities include employee recruitment & retention, performance management, employee relations, compensation & benefits management, training & development and coaching & mentoring. With a degree in teaching Deb has found working in the HR field rewarding where individuals and organizations come together in emerging roles that allow employees and organizations to grow and prosper.

Executive Support

A 38-year veteran of the NSSF, Doug Painter is the immediate past President of the organization and now serves as the foundation's Senior Advisor and Trade Liaison. In this capacity he works closely with key NSSF partners and consults on a range of the foundation's creative and outreach projects. A lifelong hunter and shooter, author and TV host, Doug was awarded the NSSF's "Ken Sedlecky Achievement Award" for 2009.

Jane began her employment with NSSF in 2000 when she was hired to provide administrative support to the President and CEO and several other NSSF executives. In 2002 her role at NSSF became more defined when she accepted the position of Secretary to the President. Her responsibilities include coordinating the President's travel arrangements, maintaining calendars, organizing an extensive filing system, correspondence and screening calls. Jane also provides support to the Senior Advisor and Trade Liaison in areas of travel, maintaining calendars and typing speeches and scripts.

Cindy began her career at NSSF as part-time receptionist in July, 2004. Due to her outstanding work and commitment, she was promoted to full-time Administrative Assistant to Senior Vice President in February 2005. In 2008, she was promoted to Executive Assistant. Her daily tasks range from taking phone calls to airline reservations. She also provides administrative support to the Membership and Communication Departments.

Joining NSSF in 2008, Wendy provides administrative support to the Vice President/CFO. Among her duties are administrative support for accounting, and building and grounds areas of NSSF.

Samantha started with NSSF in 2006 as the part time receptionist and is now NSSF's Human Resources Assistant. She assists and provides administrative support to the Managing Director of Human Resources and Administration. She is the primary information source for NSSF employees regarding employee benefits administration; developing new and changing programs for staff members; assisting staff with professional development programs; organizing company events.

Accounting

Cindy, a certified public accountant, joined NSSF in 2006 as manager of accounting after 10 years in public accounting as an auditor and tax preparer.

Marie began her career at NSSF as an accounting assistant. She was soon promoted to Staff Account - AR. Her primary responsibilities beside overall accounting support is developing, monitoring and processing the NSSF payroll and all issues concerning accounts receivable. She has been a member of the NSSF staff since 2005.

Linda has been in a support role with NSSF for 5 years. She has enjoyed working in various positions at NSSF including duties as a receptionist and Administrative Assistant to the Communications department. For the last 3 years, she has provided excellent support in the Accounting department. The knowledge gained from working in these varied areas of NSSF has helped her to succeed with her accounting responsibilities which include accounts payable and the annual budgeting process.

Information Technology

With over 15 years of technology and management experience, Dave oversees all NSSF information technology services, mailing and facilities management. His experience includes data management, disaster recovery, internet security and web hosting services. Dave and his staff provide hands on technology solutions for all aspects of NSSF and SAAMI operations. He is a life-long shooter who greatly enjoys clay target sports.

Joining the NSSF in 2005, Rick keeps a watchful eye over the technology needs of the foundation's staff members. He specializes in hardware, software and systems maintenance. Rick is instrumental in the operation of our email, servers and backup systems. He also specializes in mobile technologies, wireless, and laptops. Rick is an active shotgun shooter who has developed a passion for trap and skeet shooting.

Since joining NSSF in December 2004, Dave has been responsible for all analysis, design, development, testing and implementation of enhancements to our Customer Relations Management system [SalesLogix] and our corporate database to support all NSSF departments and daily business activities. He also handles the interface between our database and the various NSSF websites, loading and maintaining data in our database and providing special data lists for NSSF personnel. Dave graduated from Penn State and brings a wide variety of Information Technology experience to NSSF. In his spare time, he and his wife, Ann, enjoy boating, biking, hiking and target shooting.

Legal/Government Relations

With a business background, experience in government, consulting, and a strong personal belief in the Second Amendment, he is well suited to fight for the firearms industry in the political arena. Prior to leading NSSF's state government relations efforts, Jake worked as a financial analyst at SEI Investments, and served as a senior policy advisor for Rhode Island's Governor Donald Carcieri, preparing him to represent the industry in statehouses around the country.

Jeff joined NSSF in 2002 as associate general counsel reporting to the Senior Vice President and General Counsel. Jeff's responsibilities include protecting and advancing the legal interests of the NSSF and managing and/or mitigating the Foundation's risk exposure. He brings to NSSF not only his legal acumen but also an understanding of the business of recreational sports receiving his BBA with a minor in sports marketing from the George Washington University and his JD/MBA from Loyola University in New Orleans.

Marjorie joined NSSF in 2000 with an extensive 30-year background in the legal profession as both a legal assistant and a paralegal. She provides support to the Legal and Government Relations Departments through utilization of strong writing, organizational, computer, stenographic and research skills.

Marketing/Communications

With marketing and communications' experience in leading brands such as Remington, Volvo-Penta, Continental Airlines and Invisible Fence, Mark leads the marketing and marketing communication's efforts for NSSF. His 11-person department educates shooters and hunters while positioning all messages for the trade association of the firearms and ammunition industry. Mark is accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and has hunted and fished for over 45 years.

Ann brings over 20 years of experience in Marketing and Finance as well as her technical and organizational skills to supporting the marketing and communications department. Her duties include fulfilling media list requests, safety and conservation literature orders, inventory control, and coordinating classified ad insertion orders for The Range Report.

Bill is the NSSF's contact for all endemic media and outdoor writer organizations, SHOT Show media, Project ChildSafe, firearm safety and wildlife conservation education materials, and the NSSF Blog. He enjoys outdoor activities, including target shooting and hunting--particularly upland bird hunting--with friends and family. Other interests: natural history, birding, travel. Twitter: @bbrassard, and on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Ted Novin, the director of public affairs for NSSF, is the primary contact for all mainstream media inquiries. All press calls that are legislative, regulatory or legal in nature are routed through Ted's public affairs' office. A graduate of the American University (Washington, DC), a former spokesman for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and a crisis communications expert, Ted represents the firearms and ammunition industry to mainstream media.

With nearly 20 years of industry experience in sales and marketing, Dave oversees NSSF's electronic media efforts which include expanded video production capabilities, the development of firearm safety and education materials and the development of multimedia support materials to help build awareness and understanding of the many programs and services of the NSSF, and to help make hunting and the shooting sports more accessible to everyone. Dave is an active sportsman and an avid target shooter, on fall weekends you'll find him splitting his time between his deer stand and hunting with his black lab, Maggie.

Glenn brings a 40-year award-studded career as an outdoor communicator to his position as editor and/or writer of the Range Report, the NSSF Annual Review and many of NSSF's electronic newsletters. A practical education as an editor of Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, New York Sportsman and, for 18 years, Field & Stream magazine, and active roles in professional outdoor communicator associations, including the presidency of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the New York Metropolitan Outdoor Press Association, have intimately familiarized Glenn with not only the craft of communicating but also hundreds, if not thousands, of the members of the media who write about firearms, hunting and the shooting sports.

With NSSF since 2005, Bill oversees all of NSSF's new media efforts and is the foundation's primary Web content editor and writer. He is the editor of NSSF's popular Bullet Points e-newsletter, which has grown from a circulation of about 5,000 to nearly 50,000 under his direction over the past four years. Bill is a former daily newspaper editor and reporter and a graduate of Fairfield University. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time at the shooting range and dusting clay targets on the sporting clays course.

Laura joined NSSF in 2000, immediately tasked with migrating all NSSF-supported Web sites in-house and performing upgrades and maintenance to their content and functionality. She works directly with NSSF staff on web development requests to ensure the results add value the site visitors' experience. She manages web development projects and participates first-hand in their fulfillment. Laura and her husband are both target shooting enthusiasts.

Creative Services

As director, Deb oversees the creative services department which supports the many NSSF programs and its members. Most recently, Deb and her team developed the new NSSF branding design and guidelines. She was also the lead designer of the nationally-acclaimed modern sporting rifle advertising campaign. Deb has been a part of NSSF for 17 years and is an avid shooter.

Since early 2001, Noelani has been a valuable member of the NSSF's Creative Services Department. She assists in the design and creation of NSSF's promotional and educational materials. She most recently played an integral role in the relaunch of the NSSF site to conform to the new NSSF branding standards, helped redesign many of the NSSF collateral materials and implemented many communication pieces for the industry's largest trade event, the SHOT Show.

Business Development

Randy Clark attended Carl Sandburg College, Western Illinois University and Southeastern Illinois College. He supervises a highly talented group of individuals who manage a variety of programs of recruitment and retention and research along with being the industry liaison for the firearms retailers. He worked with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. before pursuing his passion to work in the Hunting Preserve Industry. He managed the Orvis-endorsed Diamond Wing Preserve in Montana and Quail Ridge Sportsman's Club in Indiana. In 2006 Randy was named the Managing Director of Business Development of the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Newtown, Connecticut. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, Randy has raised, trained and hunted over numerous bird dogs for over 40 years. He currently lives in Derby, Connecticut with his wife Kathy and their two Springer Spaniels Parker and Riley.

Bettyjane began her career in the NSSF accounting department nearly 8 years ago. Since moving to member services in 2005, membership has grown from 1,800 to over 5,500. In her current role, she is responsible for maintaining membership records, interacting with members. At NSSF, Bettyjane is the member's voice.

With industry experience of over 13 years on the law enforcement manufacturer's side of the business, Diedra brings strong marketing, event planning, distribution strategy and training program execution experience to NSSF. Diedra is responsible for all aspects of the SHOT Show and all other major events NSSF sponsors. With the unique experience of running a tradeshow program which exhibited at over 300+ tradeshows domestically and international each year, including SHOT Show, she brings an exhibitors' insight to the SHOT Show experience.

Jim is responsible for creating and communicating the overall research strategy for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. He initiates and oversees all internal market research projects and also directs the activities of contracted outside research firms. Since 1992, Jim's professional experiences encompass: sales, marketing, advertising, research and analysis. His lifelong passions of pursuing whitetail deer and brook trout tie in nicely with his current role as NSSF's director of research and analysis.

Cyndi joined NSSF in 2003 as the STEP OUTSIDE National Coordinator. She possesses a strong business background combined with extensive volunteer field experience with Ducks Unlimited, NRA and National Wild Turkey Federation. She developed and now manages the NSSF's First Shots program that helps ranges recruit first time shooters. In addition to serving as a volunteer at various sportsman's clubs, Cyndi is also a certified NRA instructor and serves on the NSCA Advisory Council. At the end of hunting season, she is an avid sporting clays and IDPA competitor.

Melissa Schilling has served NSSF for over seven years in a variety of roles. Prior to her promotion to Manager, Recruitment & Retention, she served as the STEP OUTSIDE national coordinator. She manages several hunting and shooting recruitment and retention programs such as the Hunting Heritage Partnership and Range Partnership Grant Program, Families Afield and Best Practices in Hunting and Shooting Sports Recruitment & Retention Workbook. Schilling is a graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY, with a B.A. in public relations and multimedia communication.

Joining NSSF in 2001, Dianne brings 24 years experience in report production and reconciliation, quality control and customer service. Dianne is responsible for producing all Customized Market Reports -- a research tool for analyzing a business area's market potential. She issues the Survey Tracker & Market Indicator reports and supplies the communications department with the monthly NICS numbers and quarterly FAET data, sends out an occasional survey and processes research department orders. She will be producing future Industry Intelligence Reports and contributing to the production of the next Industry Reference Guide. Dianne and her family have a deep respect and appreciation for nature -- and its bounties.

Prior to joining NSSF almost 7 years ago, Zach was the assistant manager at Weston Gun Club in Weston, CT. He manages the NSSF Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative, oversees the cooperative grants provided to youth groups and other shooting sports organizations. He also supervises NSSF's Association of Shooting Ranges with assistance from the association's Advisory Commitee which provides resources and guidance to the range community and to those looking to get into the shooting range business. Zach has been an active shooter and hunter for over 10 years and still enjoys competition shooting.

Reception

Lisa is the first person many people see at NSSF. She greets visitors, answers and directs all incoming calls and various e-mails. Since joining NSSF in 2008, she also handles data entry for the Jr. USA Patch Program, as well as data entry of First Shots surveys. She enjoys camping and the outdoors and is a lifetime NRA member.

Carol joined NSSF in 2007. Her primary duties include greeting visitors, answering and directing all incoming calls. She also handles data entry for the Jr. USA Patch Program and maintains records for that program. Carol feels that part of the satisfaction she has at working at NSSF is truly enjoying the opportunity to speak to each and every individual who calls NSSF.

Mailroom

Prior to joining NSSF in 2009, Martin served in the United States Air Force and worked as a toolmaker for 29 years at General Electric. His organizational skills and dedication to providing the best possible service to members have benefited NSSF greatly. Martin credits NSSF with re - establishing his interest in target shooting, something he enjoyed during childhood, but did not have time to pursue until recently.