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.

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.

With over 26 years of industry sales and marketing experience, Chris leads marketing and sales operations, communications, branding, membership, business development, partnership marketing, customer recruitment and retention, and the industry's largest trade show, the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show. As the leader of the marketing operations, Chris is responsible for the company's media and industry relations, advertising, interactive and emerging media, marketing communications, as well as industry research, web sites and social media. 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.

Cathy comes to NSSF with over 20 years experience working as a senior executive assistant in the consumer products industry. She has had the pleasure of working and living in Wyoming as the manager of a small radio station, which exposed her to hunting and fishing in the Big Horn Mountains. Her main responsibility is supporting the Senior Vice President with all administrative needs along with assisting the marketing and management team. A major part of her job responsibility is assisting with the coordination of the SHOT Show.

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.

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.

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.

Wendy is the "go-to" human resources representative for the NSSF staff and provides a wide-range of support with human resources programs and initiatives. Among her duties are assisting the managing director of HR & administration, benefits administration, recruitment & retention initiatives, and office operations support. In Wendy's first position when she joined NSSF in 2008 she provided administrative support to the Vice President/CFO.

Membership

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.

Samantha joined NSSF in 2006 as the part time receptionist. In 2008, she transitioned to the Human Resources Department where she functioned as Human Resources Assistant. In 2011, Samantha was promoted to her new role as Member Services Coordinator, assisting NSSF's Director of Member Services with all duties related to the growing membership department.

SHOT Show

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.

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.

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.

Erik joined NSSF in April 2010 as a graduate of Central Connecticut State University, bringing with him a unique background in media studies and graphic design. Erik assists in daily updates to NSSF's web content and its many other new media communications. As the organization's interactive media specialist, Erik produces several webinar series to support NSSF's programs and efforts. His interests include traveling, target shooting and big-game hunting.

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 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.

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.

Laura joined NSSF in 2000, migrating all NSSF-supported Web sites in-house and continues with their maintenance. She works directly with NSSF staff to ensure web development results in added value to the site visitors' experience.

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.

Greg enjoys the collaborative atmosphere NSSF has to offer. Since joining NSSF, Greg has worked to support various NSSF programs and projects. Most recently he designed the 50th Anniversary Logo, 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin and was part of the creative team that designed the new SHOT Show Logo. An award winning graphic designer, when not seated in front of a computer screen, Greg enjoys target shooting, riding his motorcycle and tinkering with just about anything mechanical or electrical.

Legal/Government Relations

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.

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.

Prior to joining NSSF, Ryan served as a sniper in the U.S. Army's 1st Ranger Bn. during multiple combat deployments. His love of the outdoors and firearms can be seen through a history of being a competitive shooter, sniper instructor and backpacking and rock climbing guide. With a B.S. degree in Political Science, the current pursuit of his Juris Doctorate and strong firearms background, Ryan is well suited to promote the firearm industry in government and legal matters.

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.

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.

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.

Tisma's enthusiastic passion and desire to grow the shooting sports is her driving force behind getting others involved. As the manager of First Shots, Tisma is tasked with helping those who have never shot before take their first shots. By working with member ranges and retailers many new First Shots events and additional programs will be created to get more people involved in the shooting sports. Tisma is a certified Illinois hunter safety instructor who enjoys sporting clays, bass fishing, and baseball.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Luke joined NSSF in 2010 after completing his BS degree in management information systems. Luke works on NSSF's essential data support functions that involve programming solutions, automated list management solutions and assisting with application programming. Luke enjoys the outdoors, working on cars and biking.

Scott joined NSSF in 2011 and spends much of his time working with NSSF's database to enter, process and cleanse data which contains indispensable information used for all our programs and for the benefit of the industry. Scott also assists with the operations of our mailroom when necessary. Scott enjoys watching NASCAR, Golf, Bowling, Baseball, Football and Hockey.

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.

Sunni's responsibilities include SHOT Show accounting and assisting with various accounting functions. She is a graduate of Western Connecticut State University.

Richard majored in Finance & Minored in Economics at Western Connecticut State University and in his graduating year earned the title of "University Scholar" and received the Dean's Award. Richard works on NSSF's reconciliations for investment/brokerage accounts, bank accounts, payroll, financial reports, and assists with budget and tax returns. Richard enjoys doing independent research on global markets, industry trends, natural resources & precious metals. He loves to play tennis and go fishing and is a strong constitutionalist, and a major supporter of the 2nd amendment.

Reception & Mailroom

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.

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.