Here are your candidates for the Executive Committee. The election will be held at the Annual Meeting of the Premier membership on Thursday, October 12, during the 61st IAM Annual Meeting & Expo.

John Burrows

As we approach the 61st IAM Annual Meeting in Toronto, I am thrilled to announce my candidacy for the position of Chairperson of the IAM Executive Board. My name is John Burrows, and I have been an active and committed member of IAM since the late 90s, serving on various committees and eventually becoming a board member in 2014. The theme of “The Power of Trust” resonates deeply with me. With over 30 years of dedicated service in the moving industry, I believe I possess the experience, vision, and passion necessary to lead our association into a prosperous future built on trust.

My journey in the moving business began humbly, working in the warehouses during summer breaks. Over the years, I navigated through various roles, gaining invaluable insights into all aspects of the moving business. Today, as CEO of DeWitt Guam and President of DeWitt Companies Ltd, LLC, I have consistently strived to improve quality and efficiency in every aspect of our operations, earning the trust of both clients and employees alike.

IAM’s commitment to trust is evident in the longevity of its leadership. Over the course of 61 years, IAM has seen only four Presidents, and in 2024 IAM will transition from Chuck White (thank you Chuck) to its fifth President, Brian Limperopulos (Congratulations Brian). IAM has been guided by 25 past Chairpersons, and if elected, I would become the 26th. I understand the significance of this legacy, and I am dedicated to upholding the values and principles that have made IAM an esteemed and trusted organization.

Throughout my career, I have been actively involved at the agency and TSP level in all aspects of household goods moving. This extensive exposure has provided me with a broad yet detailed understanding of the moving industry’s various facets, including DoD, DPM, GSA, Non-Government agencies, Move Management, Corporate clients, and relocating individuals. This knowledge will serve as a strong foundation for strengthening IAM’s membership and addressing their evolving needs in the future.

Beyond DeWitt Guam and DeWitt Companies Limited, The DeWitt Companies family of businesses include Royal Hawaiian Movers, Royal Alaskan Movers, and Approved Freight for Hawaii, Guam, Alaska and Puerto Rico.

IAM is at a crucial juncture, and I am eager to lead our association into a vibrant and trust-filled future. I humbly ask for your support and vote in the upcoming election, as together, we can unlock “The Power of Trust” for IAM’s continued success.

Stephan Geurts Jr.

Stephan Geurts Jr., director, Govlog, N.V., grew up in northern Belgium. In 1996, Gosselin World Wide Moving NV gave him the opportunity to spend his summer vacation on a three-month training program with a customer in the southeastern United States. This enabled him to hone his packing, warehousing and administrative skills.

After graduating from college in 1997, he pursued more in-depth training on the West Coast, where he focused for the next year and a half on military household goods shipping. After returning to Europe he spent six months with a Bremerhaven port agent before settling at Gosselin headquarters in Antwerp, handling DoD personal effects shipments and U.S. Department of State (DoS) business through contracts and tenders.

In 2007, as Gosselin shifted its focus from U.S. government contracting business to logistics and corporate business, Geurts and three colleagues established Government Logistics, whose main focus is serving the U.S. government, providing services for the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of State throughout Europe.

Geurts served on the IAM Executive Committee from 2006 to 2010 as chairman of the YP-35 (now IAM-YP). During his tenure, the YP-35 membership grew to 200 members. He currently chairs the Accessorial Services Committee.

“In my years on the board I have seen what this Association has accomplished for its membership,” says Geurts, “and I would very much like to continue my service and participate in the many more ventures and challenges to come. Since our Association remains greatly focused on the U.S. Government business, I bring added value to the board as an overseas agent handling all aspects of the DoD and DoS business, which continues to remain a challenging and evolving segment of the international market.” 

Oded Carmi

Oded Carmi is the President of DN Van Lines, a nationwide moving and storage company headquartered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with locations in Virginia and Florida. DN Van Lines’ primary line of business is as a transportation service provider (TSP) for the Department of Defense (DoD) through the Defense Personal Property Program (DP3).

Oded has been at the helm of DN Van Lines since his graduation from Trinity College (Connecticut) in 2005. He has overseen the growth of the company from a local single location operation with three employees and a truck to a national multi-location operation with well over two hundred employees and seventy trucks.

Oded is involved in the highest level of leadership of the household goods transportation industry on the state, national, and international level. He currently serves as the President of the Massachusetts Movers Association (MMA), on the Executive Board of the American Trucking Association Moving and Storage Conference (ATA-MSC), and formerly on the Executive Board of the International Association of Movers (IAM).

Oded is active in local, state, and national politics. In 2021 he was appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker, as Commissioner of the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission (MSAC). Under Oded’s leadership the Commission regulates amateur and professional combat sports including boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and muay thai (Kickboxing) in the Commonwealth.

Oded and his wife, Lauren, reside in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston with their two sons, David and Simon. Oded was a competitive wrestler at Trinity College and brings the spirit of fair play and hard work he learned as an NCAA athlete to all his business and political endeavors.

Lakelan Fennell

Lakelan Fennell, Senior Director of GSA at Suddath Government Services, currently serves on several committees at ATA and at IAM; he is Vice Chair of the IAM Domestic Asset Based (DAB) Mover Group, and a member of IAM’s Government Congressional and Regulatory (GC&R), Budget and Finance, and Tenders and Tariffs committees.

After serving almost thirty years at a multi-location van line agent in virtually every capacity from the warehouse to GM to VP, Lakelan continued his career at Suddath Government Services (SGS) in Network Development and was recently promoted to Senior Director of GSA.  

This new role allows him to utilize his career skills in management, contract negotiation, marketing, accounting, and other areas to lead a team of culture-driven professionals that are highly motivated and goal-oriented.

Lakelan says, “I am humbled to have been approached about the potential of serving IAM as a member of the Executive Committee as a Member At Large.  I believe that serving the industry that has provided so much for my family and others over the years is not only a duty, but a privilege. 

“I have personally witnessed IAM’s direct contribution to the success of many moving companies over the last 25 years.  We have unique challenges happening in real time and the leadership team at IAM is ready to support the membership as we navigate these uncertain waters.

“I would be honored to serve on the Executive Committee of IAM, helping to progress the initiatives and goals of the IAM membership and the industry as a whole.” 

Adam Hall

Adam Hall, Senior Vice President of the International division of Coleman WorldWide Moving, is responsible for many parts of the organization. He manages the international TSP, as well as Capstone Logistics, responsible for moving all of the international shipments. He also moves the Code 2/D and crate and freight shipments for the Domestic division. In addition, he maintains relationships with the international partner agents and helps foster and grow the relationships with the ocean carriers Coleman uses to move shipments around the world.

Hall manages Coleman’s three port operations and maintains strong working relations with the other port agents the company uses. The divisions that manage U.S. Department of State moves and commercial and COD shipments to and from Hawaii also fall under his control. He is the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Shippers Association, as well as a current member of the Executive Committee of IAM.

Jake Pieroni

Jake Pieroni is the owner of Central Van Lines in California. He’s received a degree in Electrical Engineering from UCLA and an MBA from Pepperdine University. His industry mentoring comes from a family with roots in the early days of IAM, brought up in the business surrounded with a history of pioneering innovation. Firmly focused and committed to the present, he cares deeply about the future of the International Military HHG Forwarder.

Pieroni’s experience in the business goes back 22 years, to when he did summer work for Jet Forwarding. He later joined the company full time under the leadership of IAM Hall of Honor inductee Sandra Rowe Maier and her brother David Rowe. In 2015, he purchased Central Van Lines from Mr. Rowe, and separated the affiliation with Jet Forwarding. Pieroni’s experience in software development has allowed him to build many customized systems for his business. While he gets much enjoyment from software and technology, he finds the building of mutually beneficial relationships with agents and JPPSOs most rewarding.

“My Government & Congressional Affairs Committee work, and my direct legislative engagement in support of industry efforts to influence the global HHG contract initiative, have motivated me to take on this active role,” Pieroni says of his membership on the Executive Committee.

Pieroni is not afraid to get in front of the issues that imperil international HHG forwarders. He understands that our greatest challenges derive from requirements to address customer concerns, so he has developed and maintained relationships with key military family advocates. Says Pieroni, “The people who advocate for change in the military personal property enterprise and, in particular, are responsible for the actions that accelerated the outsourcing effort are the same people that we need to be communicating with, learning from, educating, and developing solutions alongside for a better moving experience for military families, along with healthier, more stable businesses for IAM Members well into the future.”

Susan Staszewski

Susan Staszewski’s career at National began in 1989 as a Domestic Military Dispatcher, while she completed her business degree in night school. Over the next decade, Susan was promoted to Operations Manager and then Office Manager, overseeing billing and accounting. In 2001, Susan ultimately landed in the International Division as the Managing Director.

Over the last 20 years, she has assembled an outstanding staff, and the International Division has become a multi-million-dollar revenue source for the organization. Her broad base of experience and strong leadership skills fueled the growth and development of the International Division, which operates autonomously as a separate profit center.

Susan’s current position as the President of the International Division includes overall responsibility for all aspects of the business. This includes analyzing and filing international DOD and GSA rates; managing commercial rate processes including cultivating new service providers; facilitating billing and accounting issues between the international division and the parent company; maintaining semi-annual and quarterly reports for GSA, and oversight of the Ocean Cargo policy and reporting. She also participates in USTRANSCOM’s DP3 program with respect to operations, reporting and continuous education. Susan developed and monitors participation in the Customs-Trade Partnership against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program, to secure National’s portion of the supply chain.

Susan’s industry experience includes maintaining relationships with domestic and foreign business partners, USTRANSCOM, the General Services Administration, and the Department of State, including U.S. embassies and consulates. Susan previously participated on AMSA’s International Committee, IAM’s Government Traffic Sub-Committee, and is currently serving on the Executive Committee as a Member-At-Large, as well as Chair of the Claims and Risk Management Committee.