Ronen to depart ACT/IAC

Industry sources confirmed that Joiwind Ronen has resigned as executive director of the American Council on Technology and the Industry Advisory Council. The sources said she informed board members of the two organizations in a conference call on Wednesday evening. A formal announcement is expected by Thursday evening.

During the call, Ronen said she wanted to leave to spend time on other causes about which she is passionate. Board members are expected to initiate a search for her replacement immediately.

Ronen had been executive director since May 2003. From the beginning of her tenure, Ronen sought to expand ACT programs and to reposition the two councils.

At the time, ACT was known as the Federation of Government Information Processing Councils, with membership drawn primarily from government, academia and nonprofit groups. In 1989, ACT created IAC, whose members come from industry, to improve communications between the public and private sectors.

An uneasy truce has existed between the organizations since the mid-1990s when the two organizations battled for dominance. Ronen's agenda was to put ACT in the lead position. But industry participants emphasized that the majority of membership dues that funded the organizations came from the industry side.