AUSTIN, Texas – Jimmy Earl, CFE, the long-time associate director of the Frank Erwin Center, has been elected president of the 3,600-member International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM). The IAAM is a professional organization dedicated to the advancement and professional development of public assembly facility managers of arenas, stadiums, convention centers, performing arts theaters and university facilities. Earl began his one-year term as president during the IAAM's Annual Conference & Trade Show, held earlier this year in Reno, Nevada.

Since 1977, the Frank Erwin Center has served Central Texans with some of the best in live entertainment in sports, music and theater. The multi-purpose facility located on The University of Texas at Austin campus, hosts a variety of events including concerts, family shows and sporting events. It is also the home arena of the UT men's and women's basketball teams, and was also recently adopted by the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League for its home contests.

"I am honored to serve as the president of this prestigious association," said Earl, a 28-year industry veteran. "There comes a lot of responsibility with the position, but I am dedicated to furthering the advancement of the initiatives of the association, as well as those of the industry as a whole."

Earl's career began in 1976 as an executive assistant at the Amarillo Civic Center. Soon after, Earl became the events manager of the Frank Erwin Center in its inaugural year. He briefly left the Erwin Center in 1987 and worked as the manager of the Fort Worth/Tarrant County Convention Center before returning to Austin in 1990. Earl has been a member of IAAM since 1987 and along the way attained a Certified Facilities Executive (CFE) designation, the industry's pinnacle benchmark for professionalism and continuing education.

The fundamental goal of IAAM is to contribute to the professional and personal development of public assembly facility manager members through promotion and development of quality programs and services. A number of excellent professional programs are held throughout the year. Many of these programs address broad management issues as well as facility-specific and "hot topic" seminars and programs.