CHICAGO, Ill. — Retail fixture organization A.R.E. | POPAI has appointed Steven A. Weiss as its new CEO. The non-profit association was formed last year following the merger of the A.R.E. (the Association for Retail Environments) and POPAI (Point of Purchase Advertising International).

Weiss will be based in A.R.E. | POPAI's Chicago office. Prior to joining the association, Weiss was senior vice president of Membership, Brand & Business Development for the Institute of Management Accountants and was responsible for managing the global brand and integrated marketing efforts.

"Steven has a significant track record driving growth for IMA on a global scale," said A.R.E. | POPAI Chairman Bob Rosean. "He joins our association at a time of great opportunity following the recent merger of two prominent associations in the retail experience industry. We look forward to benefiting from his knowledge and experience. During his 10 years with IMA, membership rose by 45% in part due to his team's delivery of benefit packages that included continued education and certification solutions - two important areas of focus for A.R.E. | POPAI.

A Certified Association Executive (CAE), Weiss has a B.A. in English from Bucknell University and a Masters degree in Education Psychology and Statistics from the University of Albany.