USA: Melissa Ruminot Named President-Elect of Themed Entertainment Association

The Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) has unanimously named the current International Board Vice President, Melissa Ruminot (photo), as its President-Elect. She will officially begin her tenure as President in November 2022, assuming the role held by current International Board President, Chuck Fawcett, since November 2020. Ruminot serves as Vice President of Marketing & Development at the Orlando-based company of Nassal, a specialist for scenic and rockwork fabrications.

“I am confident that Melissa is the right leader to carry the TEA into a new era of growth. She is extremely strategic with unmatched attention to detail and has been an exemplary leader for many years as the Eastern Division President, Chair of the Executive Director Selection Committee, and most recently, in covering operational responsibilities at headquarters during a period of staff transition,” comments Chuck Fawcett.

Ruminot is looking forward to her future role as International Board President and will continue serving on TEA’s Executive Committee over the next months. She says, “Understanding the priorities of our global membership is critically important to the health of our organization and will influence its overall strategy going forward. I’m also looking forward to attending IAAPA Europe and SATE in Barcelona at the end of September, and engaging in a deeper way with TEA’s members abroad.”

The election of the next TEA Board President took place later in the year than is customary, as the association had only filled the position of Executive Director in June with Lindsey Nelson (cf. EAP news of 7 June 2021). From 30 September to 2 October, the TEA will meet for the “SATE” conference at PortAventura World, Spain (cf. EAP news v. 19 Aug 2021). (eap)