On Monday, Nov. 18, both the ISSA and IEHA Board of Directors recognized Beth B. Risinger, CEO and Executive Director of IEHA, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her many years of service for IEHA. Since joining IEHA in 1987, Risinger's milestones and many achievements include:
 
• Spearheading the reworking of IEHA’s Professional Education Credentialing Program (PECP) to bring it up to date, including coordinating IEHA authors to update the education modules and create a more robust certification program. The work continues today.
• Arranging for the complete IEHA Certification program to be available online.
• Developing IEHA’s Chapter Leadership Manual, providing members guidance to run their chapters.
• Helping upgrade and update IEHA’s Constitution and By-Laws to give members a greater voice and impact.
• Spearheading IEHA’s Convention planning, and changed the frequency from bi-annual to annual.
• Developing and implementing of the Special Member's Awards Program, The Diamond / Margaret Barnes and William Joyner Awards, and others.
• Bringing EHT (Executive Housekeeping Today) - IEHA’s magazine - in-house, taking over its publishing and making it the first cleaning magazine to go virtual.
• Helping produce Infection Control For Dummies, authored by J. Darrell Hicks, REH and Past President IEHA, and developing a new edition called Infection Prevention For Dummies.
• Developing, proofing and organizing of the Clean and Healthy Schools For Dummies booklet, authored by Dr. David Mudarri, former EPA Senior Scientist.

• Helping to produce Kip Koala, the popular coloring book for children that teaches the value of effective cleaning and hygiene.


Under Beth’s watch, IEHA was the first end-user organization to partner with ISSA, and she facilitated the IEHA/ISSA Alliance in 1999. Beth has worked with IEHA’s Consultant Allen Rathey to develop relationships with several organizations, launch key strategic initiatives, and plan several new certifications to be announced soon. The two have also worked together throughout 2013 to structure, broker and deliver a 3-year partnership between IEHA and Best Western International (BWI) to create a Healthy Hotel Housekeeping (HHH) Certification for IEHA and BWI. This partnership will be added to those she has helped maintain over the years with organizations such as CIRI, CRI, IICRC, NFSI, Shaw, Inc., ARDA, AH&LA and attends the AH&LA board meeting, representing IEHA.
 
Beth B. Risinger has over 37 years of experience in society/association fields. Her primary areas of expertise are: member services, public relations/image, marketing, conference/show development, seminar presentation and administration.
 
Risinger has been the recipient of many awards during her career as a manager in the non-profit sector. During her previous position with ASNT (American Society for Non-Destructive Testing), she was named the General Secretary for ASNT's World Conference which involved the coordination of an international meeting involving more than 15 countries. She traveled internationally and extensively to coordinate events and develop positive interaction regarding education standards.
 
Beth has authored more than 100 articles that have appeared in publications such as: Materials Evaluation, Executive Housekeeping Today, Meetings, Lodging, andHousekeeping Today. She has presented educational seminars on subjects such as marketing, benchmarking, listening, training the trainer, effective communication and many others. She is best known for her ability to provide member-based organizations value-added services with minimal staff and financial resources.