Sally Smedal, treasurer and controller at Basic American Foods, has assumed the chairmanship of the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP) Board of Directors, succeeding Denise Laussade, vice president of finance at Dan River. Elected by the AFP membership, Smedal will serve as AFP board chairman for a two-year term.
In announcing Smedal's chairmanship, Laussade said, "Sally has long been an active and creative member of the AFP volunteer leadership team, most recently serving as vice chairman of the AFP Board. Under Sally's direction, AFP will continue as the preferred global resource and advocate for the finance profession."
Ira Birns, vice president and treasurer at Arrow Electronics, and Loren Starr, senior vice president and CFO of the Janus Capital Group, were elected vice chairmen of the AFP Board.
"AFP provides great value to its members" said Smedal. "I'm excited about this opportunity to work with a dynamic team of leaders to guide AFP as it develops new and innovative resources for our membership."
Sally Smedal was first elected to the AFP Board of Directors in 2001. Prior to joining Basic American Foods in 1994, she worked for Chevron Corporation (now ChevronTexaco) in their finance organization.