ATSSA Signal May June 2020

American Traffic Safety Services Association 4 ATSSA News ATSSA welcomes new president & CEO Stacy Tetschner attracted to post because of lifesaving purpose By Pamela Gould, ATSSA Staff Writer Stacy Tetschner walked into ATSSA headquarters for his first day as pres - ident & CEO amid the uncertainty of a global pandemic. He had been attracted to the Association because of its lifesav - ing mission, but dealing with a poten - tially deadly virus wasn’t what he had envisioned. His initial duties included weighing in on the fate of planned events around the country—like the National Work Zone Awareness Week kickoff event sched - uled for April 21 in Ypsilanti, Mich., the Legislative Briefing & Fly-In scheduled for April 22–23 inWashington, D.C., and the Safer Roads International Confer - ence held triennially and scheduled for May 12–14 in Richmond, Va. Plus, therewas the immediate issueof the Board of Directors meeting in Nashville he had been scheduled to leave for on day two of his tenure. Somuch for coming inquietlyandmethod - ically getting to know the lay of the land at his newworkplace as he had planned. Shortly after his selection as president & CEO, The Signal asked Tetschner a series of questions, including his top three goals as he started his tenure as ATSSA’s leader. As a newcomer to the roadway safety infrastructure indus - try, he described a low-key, exploratory approach to educating himself about the Association and its members. 1. Orient myself to ATSSA’s culture as well as that of the roadway safety infrastructure industry. 2. Listen and get to know our members and what their day-to- day looks like and how ATSSA can support them in those daily activities. 3. Audit and understand everything we do at ATSSA, why we do it, and how we can build on its current success for greater relevance. Instead of getting to wade in, Tetschner foundhimself in the deep endof the pool. JOURNEY TO THE ASSOCIATION FIELD When Tetschner arrived at ATSSA on March 16, he became the third leader in the Association’s 50-year history. He succeeded Roger Wentz, who retired at the end of March after more than 22 years as president & CEO. Bob Garret was the first leader, serving as execu - tive director. Tetschner said his route to the top of the association hierarchywasn’t a direct one. He grew up on a small farm in Nebraska and spent kindergarten through sixth grade in a one-roomschoolhouse, which he described as akin to the school in the 1974–83 television series, “Little House on the Prairie,” based on the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. “My exposure to bigger things was only through textbooks and encyclopedias. There was no internet and no comput - ers back then,” he said. In his youth, he wasn’t sure what he wanted tobe andexploredmultiple ideas. But there was one constant. “I knew that whatever it was, it had to be in service at some level because that is where I was always most fulfilled,” he said. “That is initially why I was drawn to restaurants—I loved the hospitality and service aspect of the business. “I also knew there was an entrepreneur - ial side to me and I wanted to be part of helping to build and grow a business. When I found the association world, I fell in love with growing both the asso - ciation and helping our members grow their own businesses.” Tetschner spent 2 ½ years managing restaurants in Minneapolis and Sacra - mento before getting his first taste of the trade industry at the California Restau - rant Association. He started there in 1990 with member services and has never looked back. Stacy Tetschner, ATSSA president & CEO

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