RV Industry Association (RVIA) Vice President of Government Affairs Jay Landers has announced his plans to retire at the end of March 2023 after over 32 years in the industry.
For the past seven years, Landers has led the Government Affairs Department, where he and his team are responsible for promoting and protecting the RV industry by influencing legislative and regulatory policies at the federal and state levels, as per the News & Insights report of the RVIA.
“Over the past 32 years, Jay has contributed greatly to the industry, our association, and all of us who have had the pleasure to work with him,” said RVIA President & CEO Craig Kirby. “Jay and his team have done a remarkable job in promoting and protecting the industry over the years, and the industry would not be where we are today without his leadership and the hard work and dedication of his team.”
In recent years it has been synonymous to think of Landers as a man protecting the RV industry and moving policy on Capitol Hill, whether at White House meetings or testifying before Congress.
But many remember him for his early days as the “Godfather of RV-Specific Franchise,” as he enacted critical legislation across the country to appropriately govern the unique relationship between RV dealers and manufacturers.
“We are a recognized and respected industry on Capitol Hill and in the state capitols because of Jay and his team’s diligent efforts in representing the industry,” Kirby said.
“Under Jay’s leadership, the Government Affairs Team has excelled in establishing the RV Industry Association as a leading expert on outdoor recreation policy at the federal and state level and taken our signature event, RVs Move America Week, to a new level.”
Following Landers’s successful work at the state level, he was promoted to Vice President of Government Affairs, where he significantly expanded the association’s presence on Capitol Hill and engagement in federal policy impacting the RV industry.
His impact was most evident in the passage of the Great American Outdoors Act and the growth of the Association’s Advocacy Day—a fly-in event he started in 2001—from a couple of dozen people to over 150 industry executives advocating for the industry each year on Capitol Hill.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to spend the majority of my career in the RV industry,” said Landers. “Our policy issues and priorities have changed over the years, but what has remained a constant is the great people. One of the things I am most proud of is that I will be leaving the Government Affairs Team in better shape than I found it, with a handful of bright, engaging, aggressive government affairs professionals.”
The search for the next RVIA VP of Government Affairs is currently underway. Candidates interested in the role can view the position brief at https://www.rvia.org/vice-president-government-affairs.
For questions on the recruitment process, please contact RV Industry Association Senior Director of HR Alice Wang at [email protected].