Steinbach will lead operational and business strategy for NAW and their membership 

Washington, DC – The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), which represents the $7.4 trillion wholesale-distribution industry, has hired international business strategist and trade association leader Dianna Steinbach as Chief Strategy Officer. Steinbach, who started on August 15, 2022, is an organizational, industry and strategy expert, with more than 25 years of experience helping trade associations and business owners identify new trends, strategically plan, develop business alliances, connect with customers and position themselves for success. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Dianna to the NAW executive team. She is mission-focused and brings incredible talent, experience and foresight to our organization,” said NAW CEO Eric Hoplin. “Dianna will deepen our relationship with our members and help us lead in industry excellence and strategic growth.” concluded NAW CEO Eric Hoplin.

“Building a roadmap of success for NAW and our members is my top priority,” said Dianna Steinbach, chief strategy officer, NAW. “Together we will deliver world-class programming, advocacy and innovation offerings and help our members to lead, disrupt and advance the next frontier in wholesale-distribution.”

Steinbach brings extensive experience managing international associations as well as for-profit industry and event entities. Her background includes membership, operations and events in the US, Africa, Australia, Canada, China, India, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Spain, Thailand, Russia and the United Kingdom. Most recently she was Vice President of International Services for ISSA – The Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association. While at ISSA, Steinbach regularly worked with distributors, wholesalers and manufacturers to strengthen sales, maintain innovative operations and drive strategic supply-chain and customer relationships. Steinbach began her career as a business journalist with the Associated Press as well as being an editor for Sanitary Maintenance magazine, focused on the needs of distributors operating in the commercial cleaning industry.

She is the Programming Chair and Board member for the European Society of Association Executives (ESAE). She also is a faculty member for the Membership Marketing School, author of the International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA) certification chapter on Quality Assurance and a past member of the IBTM World Association Leaders Forum Advisory Board. Steinbach regularly speaks and writes about association management topics, including for groups such as American Society for Association Executives, ESAE, ICCA, Dubai Association Forum, UFI Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, IMEX Association Focus Conference and more.

NAW is the “national voice of wholesale distribution,” an association comprised of employers of all sizes and national, regional, state, and local line of trade associations spanning the 7.4 trillion wholesale distribution industry, that employs more than 5 million workers in the United States. There are approximately 35,000 enterprises with almost 150,000 places of business in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, that are affiliated with NAW.

NAW’s mission is to advocate its members’ interests on national public policy issues that affect the entire wholesale distribution industry. NAW assists merchant wholesaler-distributors to be the most efficient channel for bringing goods to market through benchmarking, strategic management information, networking and high-level conferences. NAW serves as a mechanism, through our Association Executives Council, for the sharing of ideas, programs and skills among the organization’s member national associations.

Learn more at naw.org.