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GCA in Transition; Stay Tuned. . .
GCA stands for the "Graphic Communications Association." For
many of us, the tag lines of GCA say much more than the 3 letters ever
could. My favorites are:
GCA "Fostering SGML from Day One"
GCA "The XML Association"
Despite the new tag lines, GCA has recently struggled due to its heritage
as a member organization of the Printers Industry of America. When SGML
was the leading information technology, the association between GCA and printers
was not so troublesome because most SGMLers came from a print world themselves. But as GCA followed its dreams, moving from print on
paper to Web technologies, the association with print and printers became
more and more problematic both in terms of membership and mission
But now, half way through the year 2001, GCA is in the
midst of a transition. A move away from its
traditional roots and a re-definition of the association
for the twenty-first century. On April 4, Printing Industries of America
(PIA), agreed to a proposal to spin off its Special
Industry Group, the Graphic Communications Association (GCA), as an
independent association, effective on June 30.
"As an independent entity, GCA will have the ability to grow
and to support its diverse membership base in the rapidly emerging
world of information technologies," said Diane Romano, GCA Board Chairperson.
"In recent years, GCA has become the dominant provider of
programs dealing with XML. As a result, GCA has placed a lot of its
resources in the information technologies arena," said Randy
Camp, PIA Chairman and President of Walton Graphics Media of Monroe,
Georgia. "PIA has determined it will be in the best interest of
both organizations to form a new relationship which will give GCA
greater flexibility in serving its information technologies markets."
On June 30, GCA will establish itself as a separate 501(C) 6 association. For the immediate future, GCA will continue to lease offices in
the PIA headquarters building in Alexandria, VA. As an independent association, GCA will continue its core mission
of cross-industry coordination and communication, representing print
media publishers and vendors, while expanding its role in information
technology.
As part of the transition, GCA has named David J. Steinhardt as
President and CEO, effective July 1, 2001. Steinhardt takes over from Norman W.
Scharpf, who has served as GCA's President and CEO since 1967. Steinhardt holds an MPA with honors from George Washington University and a
BS, summa cum laude, in History and Education from the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He served as a Presidential Management Intern in the Carter
White House and in the Office of Management and Budget in the Reagan
Administration.
"As GCA moves toward independence from PIA, strong leadership is
required. David Steinhardt is widely known for his vision, dedication and
ability to take organizations into new areas in response to marketplace
dynamics," noted Diane Romano.
You can find
additional information about the transformation of GCA on
the home page. Watch to see how this newly
independent entity redefines itself as a membership
association in the rapidly emerging
world of information technologies.
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