Three respected industry leaders have been named by Community Associations Institute (CAI) to chair newly formed member groups representing CAI's core constituencies: professional managers, volunteer community association leaders and business partners.

CAI's new Membership Representation Groups (MRGs) are vital components of a new governance structure that will give key member groups official platforms for addressing issues of specific importance to them, including the kinds of benefits and services CAI provides to that member constituency.

Chairs of the new groups are:

• Paul D. Grucza, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Association of Professional Community Managers (APCM) Board. Grucza is vice president operations/training and development manager, RTI/Community Management Associates, Inc., AAMC.
• Jasmine Martirossian, Ph.D., Community Association Volunteers Committee. Martirossian is a homeowner, Boston, MA.
• Ronald L. Perl, Esq., Business Partners Council. Perl is an attorney with Hill Wallack, Attorneys at Law, Princeton, NJ.

"Paul, Jasmine and Ron are dedicated, respected and creative leaders, the perfect candidates to launch these member groups," says Sandra K. Denton, CMCA, LSM, PCAM, whose term as CAI president begins March 1. "I look forward to supporting their efforts to make these groups strong, thoughtful and effective advocates for CAI members."

"The MRGs will be essential to our effort to make CAI membership even more valuable in the years to come," adds CAI Chief Executive Officer Thomas M. Skiba. "They will give each of our core member groups a stronger, more cohesive voice in CAI, and they will help us make CAI even more responsive to the needs of each member group." Members of the Association of Professional Community Managers Board are Paul D. Grucza, CMCA, AMS, PCAM (chair); Debra A. Warren, CMCA, PCAM (chair-elect); Dennis C. Abbott, CMCA, AMS, PCAM; Denise Bower, CMCA, AMS, PCAM; David I. Caplan, CMCA, AMS, PCAM; Kathryn C. Danella, CMCA, LSM, PCAM; Craig E. Koss, AMS, PCAM; T. Peter Kristian, CMCA, LSM, PCAM; Kelly A. Moran, CMCA, AMS, PCAM; Drew R. Mulhare, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM; John A. Rhodes, PCAM; and Edward D. Thomas, CMCA, AMS, PCAM. Members of the Community Association Volunteers Committee are Jasmine Martirossian, Ph.D. (chair); Pearline Atkinson-Stewart (chair-elect); Prudence Bachmann; Franklin Ferguson; Therese Loew; and Jack McGrath. Members of the Business Partners Council are Ronald L. Perl, Esq. (chair); Wilbert Washington II, Esq. (chair-elect); Scott B. Carpenter, Esq.; Kevin Cavanaugh, CPA; Robert A. Felix, CMCA, LSM, PCAM, RS; W. Mickel Graham, PCAM; Michael Magnotta, CPA; Marc D. Markel, Esq.; P. Michael Nagle, Esq.; Robert A. Travis, CIRMS; and Lynn Voorhees, RS. The final member will be determined when the College of Community Association Lawyers selects its new dean in February 2005.

Initial MRG members were appointed from a pool of nominees, and their terms run from March 1 to Dec. 31, 2005.

Elections will be held each fall beginning in 2005 to determine the make-up of the MRGs. Voting in these online elections will be restricted to CAI members in that category of membership. The chairs and co-chairs will be elected by members of that MRG and will serve automatically on the CAI Board of Trustees.

CAI is the only national membership organization dedicated to fostering vibrant, responsive, competent community associations. The national organization and its 50-plus chapters represent managers, community association volunteer leaders, management companies and professionals who provide products and services to planned communities.

NOTE: CAI awards the following designations to improve the quality and effectiveness of community association management: Association Management Specialist (AMS), Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM), Large-Scale Manager (LSM), Reserve Specialist (RS), Community Insurance and Risk Management Specialist (CIRMS), and Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC). In addition, CAI's affiliate, the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers, awards the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), the first level of credentialed professionalism for community managers. For more information, go to http://www.caionline.org/career/designations/.