The NSCA Education Foundation has elected Steven Emspak, partner at Shen Milsom & Wilke, to its board of directors, and in addition, NSCA recently hired Barbra Snitker as managing director of the foundation.
Emspak is a long-time supporter of the foundation through Shen Milsom & Wilke and even more significantly through his leadership and involvement with the industry band, the Drunk Unkles. The “Unks” have been involved with the NSCA Education Foundation for more than seven years, raising more than $450,000 for the foundation’s initiatives.
“For many years, I have respected NSCA for the knowledge and respect it brings to the industry through its education and training,” Emspak says. “Today’s business climate is more challenging than it has ever been; the segments of our industry are eroding in one form or another – profit margins, shrinking markets, rapidly changing technology.
“If we, as an industry, hope to survive, it will be a direct result of becoming better educated in all aspects of what we do. It is my hope that, through my involvement in the foundation, we will further advance the need to provide training in business management, sales and marketing efforts.”
The foundation is known for providing students with training opportunities as they advance their careers within the commercial electronic systems industry. Many of the industry’s leading manufacturers have sponsored the scholarship program, student memberships, and the creation of an endowment for future scholarship opportunities, including the promotion of Electronic Systems Professional Alliance (ESPA) and its introductory-level certification in the electronic systems industry.
To further this mission, the NSCA Education Foundation has hired Barbra Snitker to assist in fundraising through both corporate sponsorships and events to further promote the foundation’s mission.
Snitker participated in both political fundraising and event management working for Congress and the executive office of the president. Her talents relate well in establishing relationships and further engaging industry representatives with the foundation.
This year the foundation has:
• Raised more than $65,000 through charitable events such as the Industry Charity Concert featuring the Drunk Unkles at InfoComm 2010.
• Began working more closely with ESPA to develop training and certification programs for students entering the industry.
• Distributed scholarships through the Robert Bosch and Monte Wise scholarship funds.
