(Falls Church, VA) New officers were elected to serve on the Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry’s board of directors, effective July 1, 2008. This highly qualified board is comprised of exectives from across the United States with extensive industry and business experience. The board is led by Chairman Mikel R. Poellinger, president and general manager of Poellinger Inc. of La Crosse, Wis.

“The Foundation exists to provide resources to members of our community. Over the coming year, our programs will be needed on a greater scale than in the recent past,” says Chairman Poellinger. “I am proud to guide our collective efforts to continue to provide high-quality services and critical programs to our industry.”

Additional elected officers include Vice Chairman Rob Waterhouse, Ceilings Division, USG, Chicago; and Secretary/Treasurer Mark Nabity, Grayhawk, LLC, Lexington, Ky. Directors who continue to serve on the board are Joseph Feldner, McNulty Bros. Company of Chicago; Carol Kimmel-Schary, Nathan Kimmel Co., LLC, Los Angeles; Bruce Miller, Denver Drywall Company, Englewood, Colo.; Ken Navratil, J&B Acoustical, Mansfield, Ohio; and Peter G. Wilhelms, Negwer Materials, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. and Stephen Baker, Baker Triangle, Dallas.

“Chairman Poellinger has been actively involved in the development of policy and programs for the Foundation as well our partnering organization, the Association of the Wall and Ceiling Industry, for more than a decade,” says Steven A. Etkin, executive vice president of the Foundation. “Right now, the need for strong leadership has never been greater. Foundation staff, supporters, donors and the industry itself are confident in the leadership of Poellinger and the Foundation Board.”

The Foundation of the Wall and Ceiling Industry is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization formed in 1977 as an active, unbiased source of information and education to support the wall and ceiling industry by the Associaton of the Wall and Ceiling Industry. The Foundation maintains the largest independent library in the industry, publishes the Foundation Research Series and provides financial assistance, through the AWCI Cares program, to members of the wall and ceiling industry in times of financial crisis.

For more information on the Foundation, visit www.awci.org.