Paul Hartgen is executive director of the Council of Manufacturing Associations (CMA) at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). In this role, he oversees the leadership, direction and management of over 200 association members of the CMA. He also represents the NAM to industry and association leaders, government officials, media, academia and others interested in manufacturing trade association matters, working to advance the NAM's political impact and ability to organize and mobilize at the local, state and federal levels.
Prior to joining the NAM, Mr. Hartgen was a special advisor to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), providing strategic consulting, knowledge management and new channel development to increase the organization’s membership. He also worked with the NRA Educational Foundation to build strategic partnerships and grow ProStart®, a culinary arts and management program geared toward high-school juniors and seniors.
As president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland, the Nevada Restaurant Association and the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association, he leveraged an expansive network of business relationships to bring consensus and effect change over the course of a decade. He is passionate about the role associations play in addressing an industry’s future challenges today.
Mr. Hartgen served on Governor O’Malley’s Small Business Task Force, as trustee of the NRA Educational Foundation and as a director of the NRA. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, a past president of the International Society of Restaurant Association Executives and former vice president of the International Society of Hotel Association Executives.
He holds a B.A. in political science from the University of New Hampshire and is a certified association executive with the American Society of Association Executives.
He lives with his wife, Beth, and their two daughters outside of Annapolis, Md.