PRIA Annual Conference Boasts Record Attendance
August 8, 2007
PRIA (the Property Records Industry Association) held its Annual Conference at The Westin Charlotte in Charlotte, N.C., July 21-23. The conference attracted 159 attendees to participate in three days of sessions, workshops, committee gatherings and business meetings.
The final tally included 82 government sector attendees, 68 business sector attendees and nine speakers and staff members in attendance. In addition to the general sessions and workgroup meetings, PRIA business was conducted during two sessions which included annual reports from committee chairs, a year-end financial report, election of board members and recognition awards.
PRIA Vice President Bettie Johnson, recorder of deeds, Boone Co., Mo., presented outgoing PRIA President Mark A. Monacelli with a president's plaque to commemorate his five years of service as president of PRIA.
Nancy Rister, county clerk from Williamson Co., Texas, was recognized as the 500th member of PRIA and was presented with a paperweight with an engraved PRIA logo and a PRIA denim shirt. It will be Rister's responsibility to present a similar award to the 600th member of PRIA.
Association Presents Founders Award
PRIA presented the coveted Carl R. Ernst Founders Award to outgoing association President Mark A. Monacelli in a surprise announcement made during the group's Annual Conference held July 21-24 in Charlotte, N.C.
The PRIA Founders' Award is presented to honor a member who not only reflects the association's core values, but who has provided unique leadership in addressing a specific industry need or standard.
As the recipient of the 2007 PRIA Founders Award, Monacelli stands out as one who has always demonstrated a commitment to resolving problems and improving processes within the property records industry. He has not looked for the easy answers, but always sought honest, forthright discussion and knowledge, seeking consensus for a better way.
In 1998, as the Land Records Chair for National Association of County Recorders, Election Officials and Clerks, he encouraged and supported the creation of the Property Records Industry Joint Task Force. He was an active member of the task force technology committee, participating in development of the first paper on eRecording issued in February 2002.
As chair of the task force organizational issues committee, in 2001 and 2002, he guided the move of the organization's work from a task force status to a permanent not-for-profit corporation, the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) and was named preliminary president in 2002. When the first official elections were held at PRIA's July 2003 conference, PRIA members elected him as a director and the board re-elected him as PRIA president.
Monacelli has devoted countless hours, logged voluminous sky miles, and expended tremendous personal energy to ensure PRIA's success. Through his leadership, industry alliances have been created, alliances that now work together to develop national standards for the property records industry.
Under his guidance, the Property Records Education Partners (PREP) was created and there are now PREP Chapters in 20 states. PREP Chapters are developed to improve relationships between local industry partners.
Board Members and Officers Elected
During its July 21-24 Annual Conference in Charlotte, the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) received overwhelming approval at its general membership meeting for the seven candidates presented for re-election to two-year board positions. Elected as directors representing of the National Association of County Records, Election Officials and Clerks (NACRC) were Kathi Guay, register of deeds, Merrimack Co., N.H., and Mark Monacelli, recorder, St. Louis Co., Minn. Directors elected to represent the International Association of Clerks, Recorders, Election Officials and Treasurers (IACREOT) are Bettie Johnson, recorder of deeds, Boone Co., Mo., and Judy Gibson, register of deeds, Mecklenburg Co.
Elected to represent the business sector were Richard Bramhall, senior vice president and chief title officer, Bank of America, Charlotte, N.C. and Charlie Epperson, eMortgage service product manager, Stewart Title, Houston, Texas. Ted Adams, director of technology standards at Freddie Mac, McLean, Va., was elected to represent the business affiliate sector.
The 2007-08 directors elected officers to lead the board for 2007-08. Carol Foglesong, assistant comptroller, Orange County Comptroller's Office, Fla., was elected president; Bramhall was elected vice president; Johnson was elected secretary and David Ewan, vice president and state counsel with the N.J. Title Insurance Co., was elected treasurer.
Visit www.pria.us/priaboardofdirectors.htm anytime to see the complete PRIA Board of Directors roster and contact information for the Directors.
Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or communications@alta.org.