DMA Selects Steven K. Berry to Lead Government & Consumer Affairs Efforts

WASHINGTON, DC, January 9, 2007 — The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) is pleased to announce that Steven K. Berry will join the organization as executive vice president for government and consumer affairs, taking on a key leadership role in DMA and its Washington operations.

Berry brings to DMA nearly 30 years of experience in the public and private sectors, most recently as president of Steven K. Berry, LLC, and consultant to The Livingston Group, where he provided strategic counsel and government relations representation to clients in the areas of telecommunications and technology policy, as well as on international trade and development issues.

“We are tremendously pleased to have Steve join the DMA team,” said DMA President & CEO John A. Greco, Jr. “He brings to our organization a wealth of experience and political know-how that will be invaluable as we work to address the challenges and opportunities that are emerging for the direct marketing community as it continues to grow in a multichannel, technology-driven environment.”

“Having Steve on board will no doubt strengthen key elements of DMA’s core mission: to provide a unified voice for the direct marketing community on policy issues and to be a standard bearer for responsible and ethical interactions with consumers,” Greco added.

Commenting on his new position, Berry said he is “excited about the opportunity to work with such a seasoned and quality organization as DMA.” “With its exceptional record of success, including the recent passage of postal reform legislation, John Greco has set a high standard – I hope to contribute to his vision and help meet the high expectations the DMA Board has established for the Association’s government affairs efforts,” Berry said.

“The consumer is well served by DMA’s proactive ethics and consumer affairs programs,” added Berry. “I look forward to being a part of DMA as we continue to address challenging issues associated with privacy, data security, spyware, and Internet marketing.”

Prior to beginning his own firm, Berry served as senior vice president for government relations for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), senior vice president of government affairs for the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, and as a partner in the prestigious international law firm of Holland & Knight, LLP.

Berry began his government career as an associate counsel on the House Agriculture Committee, and later became the chief of staff to the Ranking Member of the Agriculture Committee. After serving as a Member’s chief of staff, Berry served in many key positions during his government career, including Republican counsel for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Republican chief of staff for the House Foreign Affairs Committee; assistant secretary of state for Legislative Affairs, Department of State; and chief counsel and director of international operations and European affairs for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. While serving as chief of staff to the House International Relations Committee, Berry also served as associate counsel to the Iran-Contra Committee – The Committee to Investigate the Covert Arms Transfer to Iran.

Recently, Berry was appointed to the Presidential HELP Commission, studying reform of the US government’s foreign assistance programs.

Berry received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory and Henry College in Emory, VA, and a Juris Doctorate from George Mason University Law School in Virginia. He is currently a member of the Virginia Bar.

In August of last year, DMA announced the consolidation of its organizational leadership and operating structure, establishing two executive vice-president (EVP) positions. Berry joins Greco and EVP and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Ramesh Lakshmi-Ratan as part of DMA’s executive leadership team. Korn Ferry conducted the search for DMA to fill the Washington EVP position.

# # #

About DMA

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2006, marketers – commercial and nonprofit – will spend an estimated $166.5 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures will generate an estimated $1.93 trillion in incremental sales. This year, direct marketing will account for 10.3 percent of total US GDP. Also, there are today 1.7 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support 8.8 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.5 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

RSS Subscription