Community Associations Institute (CAI), the leading authority in community association governance, education and management, welcomes Gregory G. Smith, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, as the 2017 president, along with a roster of skilled community association industry leaders poised for success.

Gregory G. Smith, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, senior vice president of Associa Northern California, AAMC, began his term as president of Community Associations Institute (CAI) on Jan. 1. He leads the 15-member Board of Trustees and three Membership Representation Groups (MRGs) that work on behalf of CAI's primary member groups: homeowners, community managers, and business partners. John Hammersmith, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, chief executive officer of Hammersmith Management Inc., is serving as president-elect.

With 68 million Americans living in condominium, co-operatives and community associations, including the millions of communities worldwide, CAI believes homeowner associations should strive to exceed the expectations of all residents. We work toward this goal by identifying and meeting the evolving needs of the professionals and volunteers who serve these communities.

 "As CAI membership continues to grow and expand globally, the dedicated men and women who volunteer their time and expertise as CAI leaders are instrumental to our organization's success. I am confident Gregory Smith will continue the legacy of those leaders and make an equally large impact on the success of CAI and the community association model," said Chief Executive Officer Tom Skiba, CAE. Skiba added, "There truly is strength in numbers, and CAI is fortunate to have so many national and chapter leaders who go above and beyond to serve our members and community associations, both national and international."

"Professional networking and deep relationship building has long been a strength of CAI and one of the major benefits of membership. In 2017 we will explore our obligations to each other as practitioners and leaders," says Smith. "How we practice our craft and bring up the next generation, no matter to what class of CAI membership we belong, affects all of us in some way. We need each other to truly succeed."

###

About Community Associations Institute (CAI)
Community Associations Institute (CAI) is a national nonprofit 501(c)(6) organization founded in 1973 to foster competent, responsive community associations through research, training and education. CAI is an international membership organization dedicated to building better communities. With more than 34,000 members, CAI works in partnership with 60 chapters, including a chapter in South Africa, as well as with housing leaders in a number of other countries, including Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. We work to identify and meet the evolving needs of the professionals and volunteers who serve associations, by being a trusted forum for the collaborative exchange of knowledge and information, and by helping our members learn, achieve and excel. Our mission is to inspire professionalism, effective leadership and responsible citizenship—ideals reflected in associations that are preferred places to call home. For more information, visit www.caionline.org.

2017 Board of Trustees
President
Gregory G. Smith, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Associa Northern California, Stockton, Calif.
President-Elect
John Hammersmith, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Hammersmith Management, Inc., AAMC, Greenwood Village, Colo.
Immediate Past President
Kelly G. Richardson, Esq., Richardson Harman Ober PC, Pasadena, Calif.
Board of Trustee Members
Pamela D. Bailey, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Chaparral Management Company, Inc., AAMC, Houston, Texas
Brendan P. Bunn, Esq., Chadwick, Washington, Moriarty, Elmore & Bunn PC, Fairfax, Va.
Ursula K. Burgess, Esq., Rees Broome PC, Tysons Corner, Va.
Cat Carmichael, CMCA, PCAM, Pacific Premier Bank, Irvine, Calif.
John Joseph "Joey" Carona, Jr., AMS, PCAM, Dallas, Texas
Vanessa Dreyer, LSM, PCAM, Sonoran Foothills (CCMC), Scottsdale, Ariz.
Lincoln W. Hobbs, Esq., Hobbs & Olson, L.C., Salt Lake City, Utah
Joel W. Meskin, Esq., CIRMS, McGowan Program Administrators, Fairview Park, Ohio
Janet L. Newcomb, Springhurst Townhomes Homeowners Association, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Judith Silva, Heritage Park Homeowners Association, Sacramento, Calif.
Jessica Towles, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Foster/Premier, Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Joseph C. Wise, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Wise Property Solutions, AAMC, Johnson City, Tenn.

2017 Membership Representation Groups (MRGs)
CAI's three primary member constituencies are represented by the Association of Professional Community Managers (APCM) Board, Business Partners Council (BPC), and Community Association Volunteers Committee (CAVC). MRG representatives are elected by CAI members in that membership category.

Association of Professional Community Managers Board
Chair
Jessica Towles, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Foster/Premier, Inc., Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Chair-Elect
Pamela D. Bailey, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Chaparral Management Company, Inc., AAMC, Houston, Texas
APCM Board Members
Katie Bikshaeva, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, AMI–Advanced Management LLC, Denver, Colo.
John Joseph "Joey" Carona, Jr., AMS, PCAM, Dallas, Texas
James H. Dodson, IV, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, Ewa by Gentry Community Association, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Jeffrey N. Kutzer, CMCA, PCAM, Hammersmith Management, Inc., Aurora, Colo.
Nicholas J. Mazzarella, CMCA, LSM, PCAM, Associa–Community Management Corporation, Chantilly, Va.
Melissa Merritt-Darden, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Associa Carolinas, Mooresville, N.C.
Cylinda Walker, AMS, PCAM, Bennet-Shellenberger Realty Inc., Colorado Springs, Colo.
Mark Walker, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, FirstService Residential, Fairfax, Va.
Aimee B. Winegar, CMCA, AMS, LSM, PCAM, Community Association Services, Inc., AAMC, Gaithersburg, Md.
Joseph C. Wise, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Wise Property Solutions, AAMC, Johnson City, Tenn.

2017 Business Partners Council
Chair
Cat Carmichael, CMCA, PCAM (chair), Pacific Premier Bank, Irvine, Calif.
Chair-Elect
Joel W. Meskin, Esq., CIRMS, McGowan Program Administrators, Fairview Park, Ohio
Business Partners Council Members
Ursula K. Burgess, Esq., Rees Broome PC, Tysons Corner, Va.
Gayle L. Cagianut, CPA, Cagianut & Company CPA, Bellevue, Wash.
Terri Hamilton, CMCA, Pacific Premier Bank, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Cyndi Koester, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, SwedelsonGottlieb, Los Angeles, Calif.
Stewart Masterson, CMCA, Kilowatt Partners Inc., Kemah, Texas
Peter B. Miller, RS, Miller-Dodson Associates, Annapolis, Md.
Robert Nordlund, RS, Association Reserves Inc., Calabasas, Calif.
Joseph Russo, GetDocsNow.com, Las Vegas, Nev.
Ellen A. Shapiro, Esq., Goodman, Shapiro & Lombardi, LLC, Dedham, Mass.
Vishnu Sharma, Sharma & Associates Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Joseph P. Waldron, AMS, PCAM, CIRMS, Bouvier Insurance, Nashville, Tenn. 

2017 Community Association Volunteers Committee
Chair
Judith Silva, Heritage Park Homeowners Association, Sacramento, Calif.
Chair-Elect
Janet L. Newcomb, Springhurst Townhomes Homeowners Association, Huntington Beach, Calif.
Committee Members
Jean Bestafka, Renaissance Homeowners Association, Manchester, N.J.
John Connors, Canyon Creek Homeowners Association, Austin, Texas
Judith Hanson, Sun City Aliante Community Association, North Las Vegas, Nev.
Floyd "Duff" Smiley, Arielle Condominium Association, Sarasota, Fla.