ELFA appoints William G. Sutton and Ralph Petta.

Press Release Summary:



Appointed President of ELFA, Mr. Sutton served as interim President and CEO of the Association, Education and Business Institute, Inc. A former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Mr. Sutton previously served as Commerce Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services after serving for 5 years as president of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute. Ralph Petta will serve in newly created position of COO. Petta served as interim president since September 2009 and has been with association since 1987.



Original Press Release:



Equipment Leasing and Finance Association Appoints William G. Sutton, CAE as President



Ralph Petta Appointed Chief Operating Officer

ELFA Positioned to Continue Moving Forward Under New Executive Leadership

Washington, DC, - The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA), which represents companies in the $518 billion equipment finance sector, announces the appointment of William G. Sutton, CAE as President of the ELFA. Ralph Petta, who served previously as interim president of ELFA, was named Chief Operating Officer.

Most recently, Mr. Sutton served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association, Education and Business Institute, Inc, in Arlington, VA. A former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with 30 years' military service, Mr. Sutton previously served as Commerce Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, a unit of the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Sutton was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He joined the Commerce Department after serving for five years as president of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), an association that represents manufacturers of more than 90 percent of North American-produced central air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment. Mr. Sutton attained the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2007 through the American Society of Association Executives.

"Our board of directors expressed a unanimous enthusiasm and endorsement for Woody Sutton's appointment and we are extremely pleased to have him at the helm of the association," said Kenneth R. Collins, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Susquehanna Commercial Finance Inc., and ELFA chairman. "His leadership combines association, policy and business skills and experience that will enable ELFA to continue moving forward as the premier trade association of the equipment finance industry."

Admiral Sutton said, "The members of the ELFA and their products, as engines for growth, are critical to the future prosperity of our country. I am excited about joining this highly professional association staff in supporting this industry during the challenging times ahead."

During his five-year tenure at ARI, Sutton served as an officer of the National Association of Manufacturers' Council of Manufacturing Associations, and he served on the Boards of Directors for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), North American Technician Excellence (NATE), the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology Institute (ARTI), the Clifford H. "Ted" Rees Scholarship Foundation, and was an active member of the U.S. Chamber's Committee of 100. In the U.S. Navy, Sutton served as Naval Aide to President Ronald Reagan and Director of Programs in the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs, in addition to numerous operational at-sea assignments, including ship, squadron and group commands.

Sutton holds an M.S. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Naval Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

The announcement of Sutton's appointment completes an eight-month search process which was overseen by the ELFA Executive Committee and the Board of Directors and conducted by ELFA's Succession and Transition Committee and executive search firm Spencer Stuart.

Ralph Petta will serve in the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer of ELFA. Petta served as interim president since September 2009 and has been with the association since 1987. Prior to his position as interim president, he was Vice President, Research & Industry Services.

"The association is delighted to appoint Ralph Petta as chief operating officer and to express our tremendous gratitude for his outstanding service as ELFA's interim president over the last seven months," said Collins. "Ralph has been an integral thought leader throughout his tenure with ELFA and we look forward to his continuing contributions to the association and our industry."

Mr. Petta is a member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). He completed the ASAE/University of Maryland Executive Development Program in Association Management and was selected to participate in the ASAE Future Leaders Conference. Before joining ELFA, Petta worked for nine years in the office of United States Senator Sam Nunn, serving in a variety of professional capacities. He was Senator Nunn's legislative assistant when he left to join the association in 1987. Petta graduated from Syracuse University earning a B.A. in Political Science.

About the ELFA

The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) is the trade association that represents companies in the $518 billion equipment finance sector, which includes financial services companies and manufacturers engaged in financing capital goods. ELFA members are the driving force behind the growth in the commercial equipment finance market and contribute to capital formation in the U.S. and abroad. Its over 600 members include independent and captive leasing and finance companies, banks, financial services corporations, broker/packagers and investment banks, as well as manufacturers and service providers. For more information, please visit www.elfaonline.org

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