The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has promoted Nate Herman to executive vice president (EVP. He is now responsible for guiding the directives of the membership and Board of Directors alongside AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar.
Herman assumes this role from his current position as senior vice president for Policy, where he oversees the policy department, managing its lobbying, policy, and regulatory affairs activities.
“For the past two decades, Herman has been an essential force behind AAFA’s trade advocacy, product safety, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, formulating and implementing CSR policy and representing the industry on CSR issues before governments, NGOs, and other key stakeholders,” the trade association said in a media statement.
“During this time, Herman’s purpose-driven leadership has achieved dozens of wins on behalf of the membership, including measures to pass meaningful trade preference programs, support U.S. manufacturing, halt burdensome regulations, encourage harmonization to the THREADS Protocol, and expand the industry’s intellectual property protections while fighting illicit trade.”
AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar noted that AFAA members “navigate incredibly complex hurdles in their efforts to design, make and distribute safe, authentic, responsibly made, ethically sourced, and affordable products for U.S. consumers.” He said members “look to Nate Herman for his expertise, vision, integrity, and reach in Washington.”
“His natural move into this role is a win-win for the association and the membership,” said Lamar.
“I am delighted to have the continued trust of the AAFA membership. I cherish this opportunity to step forward in a meaningful way as we continue to highlight the contributions of U.S.-based apparel, footwear, accessories, and travel goods companies, honing our strategic priorities while drawing attention to public policy impacts on fashion’s contributions to the global economy. In this role, I will continue to map out and refine the core values and collective voice of our industry and our continuous path of improvement,” offered Herman.
Prior to joining AAFA, Herman worked with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration, assisting U.S. firms in entering the global market. Herman spent the final two years as the Commerce Department’s industry analyst for the footwear and travel goods industries.
This year, AAFA is celebrating 25 years since merging the American Apparel and Manufacturers Association (AAMA), Footwear Industries of America (FIA) and The Fashion Association. The association’s roots date back much further, as several of its merger partners can trace their founding to the mid-1800s. United under the AAFA umbrella, the groups share a collective voice for education, advocacy, research, and networking, ensuring this industry and its employees can compete in the global economy.
Image courtesy AAFA/LinkedIn
