Global nonprofit market research education and training institute announces board leadership and director appointments
January 5, 2026 – West Dover, VT – Market Research Institute International (MRII) today announced the appointment of its new board president for 2026 along with the election of new members to its Board of Directors, supporting the organization’s mission to advance market research education globally.
MRII has named Jim Whaley, president of OvationMR, as president of the Board of Directors. MRII also announced Finn Raben of Amplifi Consulting as president-elect. MRII thanks outgoing board president Dan Fleetwood for his leadership and service. Fleetwood will remain on the board. Whaley will work closely with MRII leadership to guide the organization’s strategic direction and continued focus on education and innovation.
Whaley said, “Since its early days more than 30 years ago, I have been a follower and supporter of MRII, and throughout my career I encouraged the organizations I worked with to support its mission. When I was invited to join the board in 2023, I saw it as both an honor and a responsibility, and an opportunity to be part of the continued innovation essential to MRII’s success. I believe deeply in MRII’s mission to enable and support educational opportunities across the insights sector. As we expand channels for both foundational and continuous learning, I’m excited about what lies ahead.”
In addition, MRII announced the election of new members to its Board of Directors. New board members include James Cummings of Kenvue, Nick Graham of Vertemis, Pavi Gupta, formerly with Chobani, Nancy Hernon of G3 Translate, Jeff Krentz of Sky Isle Ventures, Priti Mehra of The Cobalt Curve and Sima Vasa of Oberon Securities. They are joined by two new subject matter experts who are ex-officio members of the Board, Varun Sharma of Gilead Services and Marc Ryan of Fluent. Each brings deep leadership experience and perspective about the evolving role of insights and analytics from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.
“I am thrilled with the high caliber and stature of the new Board members who will be joining us in 2026. These appointments reflect MRII’s continued commitment to delivering education that is both rigorous and relevant,” said Ed Keller, executive director of MRII. “Our board members and subject matter experts play a critical role in ensuring MRII continues to meet the evolving learning and development needs of the global insights community.”
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