Natural Stone Institute Staff

James A. Hieb, CAE,  CEO
Jim serves as the lead advocate for natural stone. In this role, he is responsible for the strategic development and execution of the association’s advocacy mission in the areas of industry promotion, membership advocacy, and advancing safety/educational programming. In his free time, Jim enjoys participating in the Oberlin Rotary Club and camping with his two sons who are active in Boy Scouts. Jim is a graduate of the University of South Dakota and Bowling Green State University. Note: CAE = Certified Association Executive.

Jane Bennett, Executive Vice President

Jane Bennett joined the BSI staff as Executive Vice President in June of 2009 coming from within the natural stone industry and bringing diverse experience from previous tourism, manufacturing, marketing and promotional employment. Her role with the Natural Stone Institute continues to be heavy in event planning, awards program management and natural stone promotion. Of key interest is her work with Building Stone Magazine, remaining committed to broadening the publication’s reach and strengthening the educational component for both members and our target audience in the design and specifying communities.

Chuck Muehlbauer, Technical Director
Chuck is responsible for overseeing development and revision of all association technical documents, including the Dimension Stone Design Manual, technical bulletins, and the technical content of videos and other publications. He also serves as the primary contact for member technical questions, and provides consultative assistance to industry design professionals using natural stone products. The association offers evaluation, inspection, and dispute resolution and technical opinion services on a fee basis for both member and nonmember companies. Chuck is the sole individual performing site visits and authoring reports on behalf of The Natural Stone Institute. Site audits for Commercial A and B Accreditation candidates are also performed by him. Chuck is a frequent speaker at venues such as StonExpo, Coverings, CONSTRUCT, The Natural Stone Institute/Stone World, and AIA. Chuck represents the interests of the assocation membership (and the natural stone industry) on 7 national technical committees, including ASTM, ANSI, and other. Chuck is a graduate of the St. Cloud Technical College.

Michael W. Loflin, Industry Research & Information Manager
Mike supports the Technical Department editing Technical Bulletins, Modules and Design Manual revisions in addition to fielding calls from consumers and assisting member companies, designers, architects and contractors by providing answers to a variety of technical questions concerning the use of natural stone. He maintains the 'Statistics' and 'Safety' pages on our website and manages association health and safety initiatives. Mike's contributions to our newsletter, Cutting Edge, include the 'Safety Tip of the Month' and the 'Here and There' column. He is a member of ASTM E60 Committee on Sustainability. He and his wife reside in Oberlin, OH where he chairs the city's Civil Service Commission. Mike is a graduate of The Ohio State University and Kent State University (EMBA).

Aaron Dahnke, CAE, Education Director
Aaron is responsible for leading the association's education/training programs which include: stone related training at major industry tradeshows, The Natural Stone Institute/Stone World regional education program, delivery of CEU credits to the design community (managed by Sarah Gregg), and resources from the association bookstore. Aaron is also involved in The Natural Stone Institute's Chapter program. He resides in Westlake and is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned both bachelor's and master's degrees.

Mark Meriaux, Accreditation and Technical Manager
Mark is responsible for leading the Accreditation program and responding to general technical inquiries. He helps applicants with accreditation requests, processing applications, managing the online exams, and coordinating site visits. He communicates with accredited members about program enhancements and opportunities, and works with leading design firms, general contractors, specifiers, and owners promoting The Natural Stone Institute standards and advantages of working with accredited companies. Mark also works with Chuck and Mike to provide technical assistance for members and design professionals. He joins our technical team in maintaining The Natural Stone Institute documents including DSDM, technical modules, technical bulletins, safety manuals, videos, and the member newsletter. Mark entered the stone industry in 2002 when he was an owner/operator of a countertop fabrication shop in Atlanta, GA. He has worked in various roles in stone sales, commercial project management, and technical support prior to joining the Natural Stone Institute team. Mark is a Mechanical Engineering Technology graduate of Kennesaw State University.

Jeff Pavic, Membership | Sales Director

Jeff joined the Natural Stone Institute in July 2020. He leads the membership department and serves as primary sales lead for membership and non-dues revenue, including sponsorships. Jeff has held sales, business development, marketing, and operations leadership roles across multiple industries, including trade associations. He has an MBA and BS from Bowling Green State University and currently serves on the Boys & Girls Club of Lorain County Advisory Board. Jeff and his wife Beth live in Rocky River, OH. They have two grown sons and one daughter (all married) and three grandsons.

Amy Oakley, Communications Manager 
As Communications Manager, Amy works to “tell the story” of the association and natural stone through articles, press releases, and social media posts. She edits the newsletter and works with industry professionals and freelance writers to create content for the Natural Stone Promotional Campaign and other projects. Amy is originally from Youngstown, Ohio and holds an M.A. from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. from Malone University. She spends her free time reading and traveling as much as possible.

Lynn Kovach, Membership Services Manager

Lynn joined the Natural Stone Institute staff in July 2020, bringing 31 years of association membership experience. Lynn is responsible for member engagement, retention, and recruitment. She also supports customer service and membership records. Lynn has a B.S. from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Sarah B. Gregg, Marketing Director

Sarah administers the CEU Program and Women in Stone. She manages the website for the Natural Stone Promotional Campaign, usenaturalstone.org. She is also involved in building awareness and relevance for key industry initiatives, including accreditation and sustainability. Prior to joining the Natural Stone Institute full time, Sarah contracted with several companies and associations in the natural stone industry, specializing in marketing and online presence. She holds an associate’s degree in Sales, Marketing, and Management with an emphasis on Advertising and Public Relations. She lives in Redfield, SD with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Claudia Jaskulski, Accounting Manager

Claudia joined the Natural Stone Institute staff in August 2021. Claudia manages all internal accounting functions, including financial reporting, and cash flow management. Claudia also oversees benefits and payroll and other human resource functions for the NSI staff. Claudia comes to the Natural Stone Institute with 25 + years of experience in accounting in the service, manufacturing, and retail industries. Claudia owned/operated businesses and has worked in the industry to help other companies succeed. She graduated with her Associates Degree of Accounting from Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. Claudia currently lives in Wakeman, Ohio and has two children and five amazing grandchildren.

Susan Myers, Graphic Designer

Susan officially joined the team in July 2021 but has been working with the Natural Stone Institute as a freelance graphic designer since 2003. Some of the projects Susan enjoys working on are trade show booth and special event graphics, Pinnacle and Tucker Design awards print and video promotion, design and print production for Building Stone Magazine and The Cutting Edge, trade publication ad design, and graphics for a variety of membership materials. A proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Susan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Design - Visual Communications, and cheers for her Buckeyes every game day.

Pam Hammond, Executive Assistant to CEO  I  Natural Stone Foundation Program Manager
Pam provides administrative support to the CEO, board and staff by overseeing a wide array of functions. She is responsible for the association’s international barter agreements, delegation event management, trade show coordination, and Natural Stone Foundation staff support. Additionally, she is responsible for managing the association’s charitable involvement with the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program. Prior to joining the Natural Stone Institute, Pam was the program manager for a trade association charitable foundation overseeing the annual fund creation, grant administration and management of several fundraising activities.  She resides in Oberlin with her husband and three children.

Dacia Belisle Woodworth, Architect & Design Community Liaison and Special Projects Manager

Dacia is a past board member who has served as an active volunteer with many Natural Stone Institute programs, including Women in Stone and the CEU program. She has worked in the natural stone industry since 2001 in a variety of roles including project management, sales and marketing, education, and technical assistance.

Naomi Kocer, Member Engagement Manager

Naomi graduated from the University of South Dakota in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Contemporary Media and Journalism with a double emphases in Advertising and Public Relations. She previously worked for Aramark marketing at USD, then moved to healthcare finance, and then left the workforce to care for her children. Together with her husband, they reside in Redfield, SD and have two children.

Kris Caccamise, Education Coordinator

Kris manages the CEU program, oversees education for the design community, and acts as the first point of contact for people who call the Natural Stone Institute. Kris holds a B.A from Kent State University and a M.Ed. from University of South Carolina. Since graduating, he has worked in higher education, holding multiple positions in Residential Life departments on college campuses. He also has experience with teaching and curriculum development at the collegiate level. Kris resides in Elyria, Ohio with his dog Mikey. In his free time he enjoys exploring Cleveland, going to concerts, and working on his house.

Scott Scallorn, Testing Lab Manager

Scott manages the Natural Stone Institute’s Materials Testing Laboratory functions at our Oberlin, OH facility, where he plans to expand the laboratory’s testing volume, test procedure capabilities and offerings, accreditation status, and industry research goals. Scott holds a Master of Science in Applied Geosciences – Engineering Geology degree from the University of Pennsylvania and was a recipient of their Earth and Environmental Science Award for Excellence in Applied Geosciences. He is active in research and development of test mechanics for natural stone cladding materials and currently serves on multiple ASTM committees, as well as holding seats as both Vice-Chair of the ASTM C18.01 committee for test methods pertaining to natural stone and as acting Chair of the newly formed ISO TC 327 Technical Advisory Group for natural stone. With fifteen years of accredited laboratory industry experience, Scott was responsible for the establishment and operation of Intertek's Natural Stone and Cementitious Materials Services division as well as serving as a senior technical consultant for their Building Science Solutions group. As a subject matter expert in laboratory evaluation of natural building materials, he has developed and overseen materials properties testing and durability analysis programs for dimension stone and related materials intended for both interior and exterior building applications as well as their associated installation and anchorage systems. In his downtime Scott enjoys spending time with his family and pursuing an abundance of hobbies and artistic projects.