American Philatelic Society Announces Reorganization
New Services Create New Opportunities
The American Philatelic Society today announced a reorganization in three areas: Editorial, Membership, and Expertizing. The changes result from new and expanded services instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic to help members and collectors sheltered in place.
“Change has come quickly to the hobby. We’ve responded by offering new services and new traditions,” said APS Executive Director Scott English, “Content development has been critical to serving our fellow members and recruiting new ones. We have to realign to sustain and grow with the demand.”
Effective July 1, 2020, the following changes will occur:
Membership: Tom Loebig, Chief Content Officer, will become Director of Membership. Heidi Lauckhart-Rhoades, Content Marketing Specialist, will become Communities and Grassroots Specialist.
The office will manage Member Administration, Membership Marketing, Web Content, Social Media, Ambassadors Program, and Shows.
Expertizing: Ken Martin, Chief Membership Officer, will take over as Director of Expertizing.
The office manages the American Philatelic Expertizing Service, the Reference Collection, and the Estate Advisory Service.
Editorial: Gary Loew, Director of Expertizing, will serve as Editor-in-Chief, Susanna Mills, Content Manager, will become Associate Editor, and Chad Cowder, who joined the APS in April, will continue as Graphic Designer.
The office will produce The American Philatelist, the monthly journal of the APS, Philatelic Literature Review, the quarterly journal of the American Philatelic Research Library, and APS publications.
From left: Tom Loebig, New Director of Membership; Ken Martin, New Director of Expertizing; and Gary Loew, New Editor-in-Chief.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting all aspects of the hobby, the APS responded, bringing new content to the website daily. Also, the APS is rolling out video content on the YouTube page, producing daily Stamp Chats that connect collectors all over the world, providing Summer Seminar Online, increasing newsletter communication to members, and more.
"The pandemic has not slowed philately down, and our long-time members are adapting to the digital world with us," English added, "Our collecting community has proven to be innovative, dynamic, and welcoming in these challenging times. It’s our mission to share this great story with as many people as possible.”