American Staffing Association

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

American Staffing Association (ASA) is the trade association for the U.S. staffing industry. It is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. ASA was founded in 1966 as the Institute of Temporary Services in Washington, DC, to give the staffing industry a strong national voice and to educate policymakers about its benefits.

Mission and work
ASA advocates for the industry, supports research and education, and promotes professional practices. It aims to protect the interests of private staffing firms and to explain the value of staffing to government leaders at all levels.

History and highlights
ASA began by meeting with the U.S. Department of Labor about regulations from the former U.S. Employment Service. It built advocacy at state and local levels through affiliated chapters. The first ASA networking and education convention was held in 1967, followed by industry publications. In 1985, Congress created National Temporary Help Services Week; ASA now marks National Staffing Employee Week each year in September. The association started its professional certification programs in 2003 and celebrated 50 years in 2016. Its name has changed over time: National Association of Temporary Services (1970), National Association of Temporary and Staffing Services (1994), and American Staffing Association (1999).

Programs and services
ASA offers credentialing programs and conducts regular industry webinars (usually Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. Eastern) with on-demand access for members. Recordings of virtual events are also sold in the ASA Learn store. The association provides online training on topics like anti-harassment, safety and health, and workforce management. ASA also engages in legislative advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels. In 2023, it received a special honor from the World Employment Confederation for its work supporting travel nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leadership and contact
Key leaders include Stephen C. Dwyer, Esq. (President and CEO); Edward A. Lenz, Esq. (Senior Counsel); Jessica E. McClain, CPA/CITP, CISA, PMP, CGFM (Chief Financial Officer); and Kelly Verberg (Senior Vice President and Chief Membership Officer).

Website
americanstaffing.net