Hackettstown, NJ — Don Sciolaro, who served as interim CEO for the National Kitchen & Bath Association after the unexpected departure of former CEO Mike Kelly last month, has been named permanent CEO of the association, the NKBA announced.

The announcement was made during the NKBA Board of Directors’ Gala & Cocktail Reception, the kickoff event for last month’s 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show (K/BIS) in Chicago, only weeks after Kelly and the NKBA parted company on the virtual eve of the show.

Sciolaro, who joined the Hackettstown, NJ-based NKBA in 2006 as director of member services, was lauded by Sara Ann Busby, CKD, 2008 NKBA national president

“While there were some great candidates, Don’s selection was unanimous,” Busby said. “I couldn’t be happier. He is a man who has a vision, as well as a clear understanding of the NKBA.”

According to Busby, the CEO selection process involved subjecting Sciolaro to multiple interviews before a CEO search firm in Washington DC, as well as a CEO evaluation committee, comprised of members of the NKBA Executive Committee, the association’s Board of Directors and representatives of the NKBA membership at large.

“Don received glowing reviews, but [since we were changing the history of the NKBA and the length of the tenure of the CEOs] we wanted to be sure,” Busby said.

“Therefore, we took him through a six-hour interview process with five people on the CEO review committee, with him finally being interviewed by members of the NKBA Executive Committee for [final] review.”

While Kelly’s departure has been termed as a “mutual agreement” between the former CEO and NKBA officials, the separation has led to speculation concerning the circumstances surrounding it.

Busby, however, noted that the primary role of the CEO will not change much going forward. She also noted that Sciolaro’s background features a strong interest in member benefits, “so we are looking to Don in that regard.

“[Don’s] primary function is to make sure that headquarters is running efficiently and that we are addressing our membership needs,” she said.

Busby also characterized Sciolaro as being “very strong in the legislative area, which is something we have invested a lot of time and money in, in order to protect the members’ right to practice, and Don comes to us with a lot of legislative background, so he is going to jump into that arena as well.

“He is also going to look at our international possibilities and the membership possibilities that we can bring to the association,” Busby said.

Prior to joining NKBA, Sciolaro was senior manager for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) for 15 years, and prior to that worked in the District Office of Congresswoman Marghe Roukema.

According to Busby, while nothing has been officially announced, a contract for Sciolaro was expected “fairly soon.” This disclosure perhaps signifies a shift in NKBA philosophy, since a contract for Kelly never came to fruition, despite reports at the time of his hiring that a contract was anticipated and that his tenure would last long term.

According to Sciolaro, his primary goals will include establishing alliances with different trade associations within the building industry in order to extend training and educational programs for members; expanding membership growth; assessing internal educational and training programs and diversifying those offerings to reflect the diverse NKBA membership, and maintaining the momentum of the annual K/BIS and conference.

“When the board of directors and I had discussions of my visions for the NKBA and to what the board of directors would aspire to, we were very much in line,” Sciolaro commented.

“For me, becoming the CEO of an association was within my personal and professional goals and, in the last two years, I got a good sense of the industry and our membership, as well as what their expectations are, and the different departments that make up our staff as to what they are capable of doing,” Sciolaro added.

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