Page 50 - ACEC PA - Spring 2021 Conference Program

SPEAKERS - Day 3 Michael V. Geary, CAE
Michael serves as the CEO of the Society for Marketing
Professional Services and the SMPS Foundation. Prior
to joining SMPS, he served as the President & CEO of
AmericanHort and the Horticultural Research Institute,
the trade association and foundation for the horticulture
industry, and concurrently as the Executive Director of the
Ohio Produce Growers & Marketers Association and the
Nursery & Landscape Association Executives of North America.
He also led the American Institute of Architecture Students and served
in a senior staff position with the National Association of Home Builders. Michael has nearly 30 years of association management and organizational development experience. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and earned the designation of Certified Association Executive (CAE) from the American Society of Association Executives in 2000.
David La Torre
La Torre Communications founder David La Torre is a well- regarded public affairs and communications strategist who has served as a spokesperson for high-profile clients and crises. For over a decade, David has successfully handled communications for a number of events that captured the world’s attention, including the dramatic Quecreek mine rescue outside of Pittsburgh.
He has worked with and appeared in media outlets across the country and world, including The New York Times, BBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Bloomberg, Chicago Tribune, Reuters, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
David began a career in public service under Gov. Tom Ridge, serving in
the communications office as a spokesman and chief speechwriter and
was later named press secretary to Gov. Mark S. Schweiker. An experienced public speaker, David has spoken to a number of organizations, including the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police and Corrections USA. He previously served as the keynote speaker at an international public affairs conference in Budapest, Hungary.
A former journalist, David won several awards covering government and politics for Pennsylvania newspapers, including The (Allentown) Morning Call and York Dispatch/York Sunday News.
David holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Francis University and a master’s from Ball State University.
50