The Northeast Spa and Pool Association has found its new executive director to replace 14-year veteran Lawrence Caniglia.
Dominick Mondi will undergo baptism by fire, as he starts with the organization during its flagship event in Atlantic City, N.J. the week of Jan. 22, 2018. He will replace Lawrence Caniglia, who planned to start a new business but has since taken the post of president/CEO with the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals.
“In the beginning [of the search], it was hard to imagine finding the candidate who would meet our diverse requirements,” said NESPA President Ronald Falcioni. “But as the search process moved forward, Dominick quickly stood out as the best fit for NESPA and our culture as an association.”
Mondi will bring experience and education from related industries. He is leaving his job as president of the Associated Building Contractors, New Jersey Chapter. Before that, he served as executive director of the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association. He holds a bachelor of science degree in landscape architecture from Rutgers University, and has experience as a landscape architect and small business owner.
“My experience in related industries, I believe, coupled with my experience both in business and nonprofit association management, seems to line up well with what NESPA needs at this moment,” Mondi said.
In his various positions, Mondi gained experience developing educational programs. He established a certification program for the nursery and landscape organization, as well as safety training programs for the building group. He also has served as a program coordinator in Rutgers’ continuing education department. In that post, he ran approximately 85 professional development programs for the landscape and related industries.
“I know that expanding educational offerings, as well as bringing new technology and opportunities into those offerings, is something that NESPA is trying to accomplish at this point in time,” Mondi said.
Mondi will be charged with implementing NESPA’s extensive long-range strategic plans. While it’s early in the game for him, he currently expects membership development to rank high in his priority list. “I think membership growth can only benefit everybody,” he said. “That’s the whole point of a trade association: We can do more together than we can alone.”
A native of the Garden State, Mondi lives in Evesham, N.J. with his wife and three small children.
