The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance recently announced the new director of the California Pool and Spa Association. Please see the organization's statement below.
The Pool & Hot Tub Alliance is proud to announce that Michael Lasher, IOM, is joining PHTA as director of the California Pool and Spa Association (CPSA). His first day was Dec. 1, 2020.
Lasher is an association executive with nearly 29 years of experience in nonprofit management. Through his affiliation with the association management firm Gayle Stewart Enterprises, Inc., he currently serves as chapter administrator for the Orange County Chapter, International Facility Management Association (IMFAOC), which delivers educational programs and services to professionals in the facilities management industry. He also is the chapter administrator for Meeting Professionals International, Orange County Chapter (MPIOC), which serves the local meetings and events industry.
Lasher started his association management career in 1991 with Gayle Stewart Enterprises, Inc. in Tustin, Calif., where he aided non-profit professional and trade organizations. He has served as chief staff executive for chapters of the National Speakers Association (NSA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Christian Businessmen’s Committee (CBMC), National Spa and Pool Institute (NSPI) and independent organizations, including the Escrow Institute of California (EIC) and the Life Science Industry Council (LINC). Lasher was also the chief staff executive for the Building Owners and Managers Association of Orange County, the Tech Coast Venture Network (TCVN) and the Network Professional Association (NPA).
He attended Biola University in La Mirada and is a 1999 graduate of the Institute for Organization Management. In 1999, he received his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation and was awarded the Institute for Organization Management’s IOM designation that same year. He has served as vice president of Membership and a coard member for the Southern California Society of Association Executives (SCSAE). He also served on the Western Board of Regents for the Institute for Organization Management. Mike lives in Simi Valley, Calif., with his wife Carol and their college-age children.
Michelle Kavanaugh, current executive director of the CPSA, is switching her focus to consulting industry businesses. Kavanaugh said she is happy to pass the torch to Lasher.
“It has been a true honor to serve the California pool and spa industry as executive director of the California Pool & Spa Association for the last two years,” says Kavanaugh. “The members of CPSA are in great hands with their new leader, Michael Lasher, and I am excited for my next journey as business owner of MK Inc., where I will assist small businesses with achieving success personally and professionally.”
