People on the Move highlights the career advancements of high-level trailblazersworking professionally in diverse areas of standardization, contributing everyday to the strength and success of the U.S. standards and conformancecommunity.
The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), a member and accredited standards developer of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), has named Barton (Bart) James as its new president and CEO. Mr. James has served as ACCA's interim president and CEO since September; prior to that, he was the organization's senior vice presidentof government relations. Previously, Mr. James was with the National Mitigation Banking Association as their executive director, the Land Trust Alliance as director of advocacy, and Ducks Unlimited as director of public policy. He brings with him expertise in designing and implementing strategic plans, building political advocacy campaigns, and directing lobbying activities. "Throughout his time with ACCA, Bart has proven he is a strategic thinker who will execute important goals set by ACCA's volunteerleaders," said ACCA immediate past-chairman Steve Schmidt. "The ACCA Executive Committee was proud to recommend Bart to the board of directors and we welcome his leadership as our new executive." NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, an ANSI member and accredited standards developer, has appointed Brandon Abley as its new technical issues director. In this role, Mr. Abley will provide a technically focused viewpoint for NENA programs and activities, identifying how changes in communication will impact 9-1-1 services. He will also support NENA's committees, members, and other stakeholders in the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1. Prior to joining NENA, Mr. Abley was a consultant at Televate, LLC, advising governors' offices on the FirstNet opt-in decision, including technical and financial analysis, detailed user-requirements analyses, and stakeholder outreach. He also worked on many other emergency communications projects before joining Televate, including designing radio systems for national parks, serving as a statewide interoperability coordinator, and contributing to legislation on 9-1-1. "Brandon's wide variety of work experience provides him witha unique and diverse technology background," said NENA CEO Brian Fontes. "He undoubtedly will be an asset to NENA and the broader emergency-communications community during this critical moment in 9-1-1's evolution."