ORLANDO, FL — The American Teleservices Association yesterday introduced four new members of its board of directors to the membership at its 17th annual convention here.
Each new member's three-year term started Oct. 29, the first day of the convention. The new members of the board are:
• Kathryn Barber, founder of BCSI, Irvine, CA.
• Lisa DeFalco, co-founder of TPG Telemanagement, Yardley, PA.
• Connie Richardson, director of government and community affairs at Dakotah Direct, Spokane, WA.
• Katrina Wells, head of telemarketing and customer service at America Online, Dulles, VA.
After last year's convention, seven members resigned in the midst of a financial emergency sparked by alleged mismanagement by former ATA president/CEO J. Scott Thornton.
Replenishing the ATA leadership is one of the steps the association has taken to rebuild after nearly folding last year, said Bill Miklas, communications director for the ATA board of directors. In December, the board added Clifton Critchlow, Michael Haaff, Andrew Miller, Tim Searcy and John Hoholik, to join the three remaining members of the old board, including Miklas, Gordon McKenna and Kent Stormberg.
Among other steps taken in the past year, the association has closed its Los Angeles office, moved to Washington and hired an outside management firm.
“I don't want the focus of our convention to be on what took place last year,” Miklas said. “We've accomplished quite a bit in the past year. We've taken something of a precarious situation and turned it into a positive one.”
