Plans return to government sector
Susan Gurley has resigned after four years as the executive director of the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE).
She will leave the organisation on December 31 after indicating that she wished to return to work in the government sector.
Her deputy Megan Costello will take over as interim executive director on December 1.
ACTE president Richard Crum said an executive director search committee had been formed to search for her successor.
Mr Crum, president and ceo AirPlus International, is also standing down from his ACTE role next May.
He will be succeeded as president o by Chris Crowley, senior vp for sales for EMEA and Asia Pacific regions for BCD Travel.
Ms Gurley joined ACTE in 2005 from Georgetown University Law Center where she was assistant dean of international and graduate programmes.
Mr Crum said that during her tenure, ACTE had seen its "greatest expansion throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle-East".
This included the first regional conferences in Latin America, Canada and Africa and the first forums in Russia, India and Nigeria.
Ms Gurley also convened the first carbon-low conference in the industry as well as highlighting numerous issues including the impact of travel on the environment and Corporate Social Responsibility.
"She has been a tremendous asset to ACTE, with her vision and insight, and will assist the association through a period of transition," Mr Crum said.
Her tenure also saw the abortive attempts of a merger between ACTE and the larger National business Travel Association (NBTA) earlier this year.
The issues led to the resignation of three senior ACTE figures including the then president Doug Weeks.
While the issue is currently not officially on either organisations' agenda, corporates which financially support them have indicated their concern at backing two similar organisations.
www.acte.org [1] www2.nbta.org [2]