Monday, April 23, 2012
Eddie Myers, ETA Board President as well as President and Chief Operating Officer of Payment Processing Inc., said. "We are thrilled that Jason Oxman will bring two decades of technology, policy and association experience, and strategic thinking to steer this great organization into the future.
"The global payments industry is experiencing rapid advances, from mobile payments to the cloud, and ETA is the home for companies that want to grow and prosper in this exciting field. We have so many innovations ahead for our industry, as well as important policy issues, and we have found in Jason Oxman the right person to lead us forward."
Oxman was previously an attorney for a technology industry trade association, an executive with a California-based technology company and a broadcast journalist. He has a master's degree in mass communication from Boston University School of Communication and a law degree from Boston University Law School.
Oxman replaces Carla Balakgie, who led the ETA's move to Washington, D.C. in 2003. She left the organization in 2011 to become CEO of the National Automatic Merchandising Association. Interim CEO Pamela Furneaux, who continued Balakgie's lobbying and industry initiatives, will resume her previous duties as ETA Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer.
Interviewed by The Green Sheet at the ETA's annual meeting, Oxman said he gave up vacation time to attend the expo before the official start of his duties. The new CEO, who is certified by the American Society of Association Executives and by the Public Relations Society of America, said he was delighted with the event's 2012 attendance; he was told it approached an all-time high of almost 2,800 people.
"We are back to pre-recession numbers," he said, adding he was impressed with the enthusiasm for the industry he found at the convention.
Oxman believes the most important aspect of his job is helping ETA members "take advantage of technology to provide new products and services." He noted that while it is not yet clear where technology is headed, it is clear technology is spurring market growth, and the ETA wants to partner with its members and sales providers to help create more growth.
Oxman intends to spend his first 100 days in office getting out and meeting the members to learn how the ETA can be aligned with their needs. "We are going to do everything we can to grow the industry on behalf of the industry," he said.
Oxman, who said he has spent more than 15 years in Washington working on government regulation and lobbying, is in favor of ETA lobbying efforts. "There's no question government plays a role in our industry," he said. "The ETA role is to be a helpful resource to decision makers and let them know of the benefits our industry provides. It's not an exaggeration to say ETA members make commerce possible." 
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