WASHINGTON — Donald B. Shea, Rubber Manufacturers Association president and CEO since 1997, has resigned from the trade association to "pursue other opportunities," the RMA said.
The RMA Executive Committee appointed Charles A. Cannon, president of the trade association consulting firm Cannon Associates, interim CEO while it searches for a permanent replacement. The search is expected to take from three to six months, the association said.
No details on Shea´s departure were provided.
Shea was president of the U.S. Council of Shipping for a year when he took the RMA post, succeeding Thomas A. Cole. Before that he was president of the Council for Solid Waste Solutions, and president of the U.S. Brewers Association.
The rubber industry underwent many changes during Shea´s tenure with the RMA, and the trade association reflected them.
As the principal lobby for the industry, the RMA was at the forefront of many legislative issues during Shea´s reign. Chief among them was the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act, which became law in 2000, a reaction to the Firestone SUV tire recall and smaller recalls by other tire makers.
In recent years the RMA´s non-tire organization has suffered membership losses and changed its name to the Elastomer Products Group to bring in new members. Several senior RMA staff members also left the organization in recent years.
Cannon has nearly four decades of executive management experience. He also has served as CEO for Land Mine Detection Systems Inc., was co-founder and vice president for New Product Development Consortium, a venture capital consortium, and the executive vice president for the Composting Council and the Composting Council Research and Education Foundation.