1973

• First documented original meeting- June 1973 held in Atlanta, Georgia (in cooperation with the Kendall Sports Division)
• Decided that an association should be formed for equipment managers throughout the United States and Canada.  A committee was formed and named the organization The National Equipment Men’s Association.
• Chairman of the committee to form the AEMA was Charles “Skip” Vosler (Ohio Univ.) where he served as Athletic Trainer and Director of Equipment.  The committee consisted of Bill Jarvis (Ashland College), John Bozick (Ohio State), Harry Yalocki (Univ. of Washington), Robert Kluseman (UCLA), Tom Burton (Clemson), and Stubby Eason(Minnesota Vikings)

1974

• Membership started with 25 members.
• Harry Yalocki (Univ. of Washington) named the first Executive Director. Term ran from 1974-1975
• Tom Burton-named the first President (1974-1976). Named President by the Executive Director to a two-year team.
• Helen Sharp-First Administrative Assistant manager of the AEMA (first called “National Registration Chairman”). Started the office with her husband Glenn, in 1974 and continued in that job until her retirement in 1994.
• First National organizational meeting “Convention” was held in 1974 in Kansas City where the name Athletic Equipment Managers Association was born. The first formal Executive Board was founded at this meeting.
• First National Membership chairman- Jon Falk he was (1974-1977). Gave the position up to take the position of Associate Executive director.
• Membership annual fees were set at $15.00 for an active member, and $5.00 for a student member. District Dues ($5.00) were separate from National. These dues were sent to the District. A member could not belong to the district without belonging to the National organization.

1975

• First year for the AEMA to hold a actual “members” Convention.  Held in Dallas Texas.
• First year that records of attendance were kept. 85 in attendance(including members, wives, visitors and exhibitors.)
• 22 Exhibitors were in attendance at the convention, using 25 Booths
• Helen Sharp (with the approval and input of the board of directors) wrote the original set of by-laws and policies & procedures.

1976

• Convention was held St. Louis,  Missouri.
• 68 people in attendance
• 24 Exhibitors using 29 Booths
• Membership grew to 27 members
• Charles Vosler named  Executive Director.  He remained in that position for one year.
• The first newsletter was published September 1976 it was called “Behind the Cage” and was published by Cramer Products

1977

• Convention was held Kansas City, Missouri.
• 78 people in attendance
• 26 Exhibitors using 29 Booths
• Membership grew to 38 members.
• Billy Pickard  named Executive Director. Billy remained in that position for 5 years.
• Frank Marchese named the President for a two-year term (1977-1979)
• Jon Falk named Associate Executive Director
• AEMA financial reports were now being audited by an outside firm.
• First year to pay registration fees prior to Convention. Registration fee was $5.00

1978

• Convention was held Kansas City, Missouri.
• 69 people in attendances
• 30 Exhibitors using 33 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded for the first time to Glenn Sharp.
• Jim Howard (East Tennessee State University) designed the first logo.
• First convention Schedule Program was printed by Helen Sharp.  Consisted of the Board meeting, District meetings, the Welcome meeting, 3 workshops, and the banquet.
• First year for membership cards. Cards were printed out in the National Office and handed out to District Directors to distribute.
• Cathy Dachtera was the first female member of the AEMA.  Voted in as District #1 Director. She only remained a member for one year.
• Recreation was added to the Convention program as the members  were offered a tour of Arrowhead stadium (home of the Kansas City Chiefs).

1979

• Convention was held St. Louis, Missouri.
• 95 people in attendance
• 35 Exhibitors using 40 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Bobby Yarborough
• Glenn Sharp elected the President in the 1st balloted election.  Remained President for two 2-year terms (which was the maximum a President could run).
• Bike Athletic Advisory board added 6 equipment managers seats May 23,1979.  These members were Jon Phillips, Glenn Sharp, Bud Fernandez, John Daggett, Gene Sprague, and Whitey Zimmerman.

1980

• Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• 91 people in attendance
• 33 Exhibitors using 38 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to John Phillips (Michigan State)
• NOCSAE accepted the AEMA application for an Equipment Manager seat on the board July 17, 1980
• Billy Pickard (Texas A&M) resigned as Executive Director due to a change in job duties.
• Board of Directors decided to book hotels at least 3 years in advance to have a better selection of hotels that would accomodate us and to lock in pricing.

1981

• Convention was held in Ft. Worth, Texas.
• 110 people in Attendance
• 33 Exhibitors using 38 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Billy Pickard (Texas A&M)
• Registration fees for the Convention went to $10.00

1982

• Convention was held in Tucson, Arizona.
• 106 people in attendance
• 30 Exhibitors  using 35 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to John Daggett (Missouri)
• John Phillips (Michigan State) named Executive Director. Remained in that position for 4 years.
• The first golf tournament was hosted. Cost of the golf outing was $11.00
• Bill Kelly (Vanderbilt) attended the first NOCSAE meeting in January.

1983

• Convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri.
• There were 104 people in attendance.  This was the 10 Year anniversary Convention.
• 32 Exhibitors using 39 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Booker Kilgore (West HS). This was the first time a high school manager had won this award.
• Bill Kelly (Vanderbilt) elected President.  The term for President went from a 2 year term  to a 3 year term.
• Jim Roberts (North Dakota State) held a workshop to get out a feel for Certification. His goals were to find out:
  • The definition of Certification
  • What is an equipment manager
  • What the general membership wanted from certification

1984

• Convention was held in Nashville, Tennessee.
• 126 people in attendance
• 35 Exhibitors using 43 Booths
•  The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Norm Perez (Fullerton College)
•  A lists of members that attend Convention will be distributed to all exhibitors who purchased a booth space at Convention.

1985

• Convention was held St. Louis, Missouri.
• The hotel caught on fire in the early morning hours of June 27th (first day of Convention).  With a few changes in room assignments and workshops, the Convention went forward. Refund checks for the luncheon (cancelled due to the fire) were sent out to members.
• 119 people in Attendance (prior to the fire)
• 37 Exhibitors using 42 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was given to Jim Roberts (North Dakota State)). First year that the Equipment Manager of the Year award was voted on by the entire membership (at the General Meeting).  The award had previously been selected by the Board of Directors.
•  Title of newsletter changes from “Behind the Cage” to “The Scoreboard” in November of 1985 (with permission from District #5 who changed the name of their newsletter from “The Scoreboard” to “The Original Scoreboard”.  Russell Athletics sponsored the Scoreboard
• There were two very important workshops given. One was designed to initiate a Certification Program. It was decided that the AEMA needed to write a manual and set up an exam and continuing education program. The second was to set up a Code of Ethics. That same code exists today.

1986

• Convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 162 Members were in Attendance.
• 39 Exhibitors using 48 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded Michael Arellano (Univ. of California)
• Security Guards were hired for the first time to protect the Exhibits area.
• Dues were raised from $15.00 to $25.00

1987

• Convention was held in Dayton, Ohio
• There 119 Members were in attendance.
• 42 Exhibitors using 53 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Bill Kelly (Vanderbilt)
• Jon Falk (Michigan) named Executive Director.
•  AEMA office purchased its first computer.  512K MacIntosh and an ImageWriter II dot matrix printer. The computer had the capacity to hold about the same amount of data as 3 or 4 pictures do today. All data had to be saved on floppy disks.

1988

• Convention was held in Baltimore, Maryland
• 150 Members were in attendance
• 52 Exhibitors were in attendance using 63 Booths
• Membership hit the 200-member mark
• The Equipment Manager of the Year was awarded to Don Lacross (Vermont)
• Ken Hart(Richmond) elected President.  Started career as a Student Equipment Manager for Glenn Sharp at Bowling Green State Univ.

1989

• Convention was held in Ft. Worth, Texas.
• 175 Members were in attendance.
• 56 Exhibitors were in attendance using 72 Booths
• Membership hit 300-member mark
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Gary Boevers (Oklahoma State Univ.)
• National and District dues were combined into one payment to the National office. The cost was raised to $35.00 with $30.00 going to the National Office and $5.00 going to the Districts.
• National questionnaire was sent to all members concerning the financial support of Certification.
• The Association saw the birth of the resource center. The resource center contained 13 Videos.
• Golf outing could not be played because heavy rains caused the course to flood.  Prizes for the golf outing were used as door prizes distributed in the exhibit hall.

1990

• Convention held Indianapolis, Indiana
• There were 196 members in attendance
• 66 Exhibitors  using 83 Booths
• The Equipment Manager of the Year award was awarded to Jeff Boss (Louisiana State Univ.).
  • The Equipment Manager of the Year award was renamed The Glenn Sharp Award

1991

• Convention was held New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 213 members in attendance
• 76 Exhibitors were in attendance using 91 Booths
• Membership hit 400
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Mary O’Leary (Miami-Ohio)
• Certification becomes a reality. Jim Roberts (Wisconsin) appointed the Chairperson of the Steering Committee. (CSC)
  • Jim appointed Jeff Boss (LSU) as the Chairperson of the Continuing Education Committee.
  • Committee members (in alphabetical order): Mike Davidson (Kansas City Chiefs), Mike Hill (Tulane), David Littlejohn (Oklahoma), Mary O’Leary (Miami of Ohio), Sam Trusner (Millikin) and Dale Strauf  (Cornell).
  • Jeff’s committee consisted of 10 District CEU representatives.
  • First three years of certification (1991-1993) members were able to “Grandfather” in to Certification upon meeting the following requirements:(1)member needed to be 21 years of age, (2)have a High School diploma, and (3)have 10 years documented experience as an equipment manager.

1992

• Convention was held in Phoenix Arizona.
• 277 members in attendance
• 73 Exhibitors were in attendance using 92 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Dale Strauf (Cornell Univ.)
• The first Certification Manual was printed and ready for purchase in the fall of 1992. Contributing authors to this manual were Gary Boevers (Oklahoma State Univ.), Jeff Boss (LSU), Charles Craig, Mike Davidson (Kansas City Chiefs), Robert Jones (Purdue), Dominic Morelli, Mary O’ Leary (Miami of Ohio), Jim Roberts(Univ. of Wisconsin), Sally Ross, Ron Salvemini, Terry Schlatter (Purdue) and Dale Strauf (Cornell Univ.). The original manual was owned and printed by Health Care Forum. Al Oldenburg and Wilson Sporting goods donated $10,000.00 toward the first manual.
• Jim Roberts was the first member to be Grandfathered and Certified.
• The first Certification Exam was given in 1992. Terry Schlatter, Tex Ritter (Ball State Univ.), and Mary O’Leary wrote all of the first test questions.
• Russell Athletics contacted the AEMA with an offer of $1500.00 for a Scholarship program to offer (3) $500 scholarships to student managers.

1993

• Convention was held in St Louis, Missouri.
• 324 members in attendance
• 81 Exhibitors were in attendance using 96 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Ken Hart (Richmond Univ.)
• The policy for the Core Requirements (eligibility) of the Certification Exam a survey was sent to all AEMA members. As a result of that survey, the core requirement was changed – from an educational requirement of a 4-year college degree, to include High School Degree, with 5 years paid employment as an Equipment Management. OR 4 Year College degree, and 2 years paid employment as an Equipment Management  OR  1,800 Hours Student Athletic Equipment Management experienced and a 4-year college degree.
• The “Journal” was introduced by Jeff Boss in 1993 and was named the Monograph program. The program was to set to cost members $75.00/year.  Through the efforts of Sam Trusner (Millikin University), Editor,  and Gary McNabb (Adams, USA) Adams, USA picked up the printing cost of the Journal.  The AEMA Journal  was distributed in 1995, at no cost to the member.
• District Directors were asked to put all District Officer activities for each year in a report to the President.

1994

• Convention was held in Fort Worth Texas.
• 322 members in attendance
• 83 Exhibitors were in attendance using 99 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Terry Schlatter (Wisconsin)
• Terry Schlatter was Elected President for two three-year terms (1994-2000).
• Mary O’Leary officially took over the job as Administrative Assistant.
• As a retirement gift and a thank you for years of service, the AEMA sent Glenn and Helen Sharp on a Cruise.
•  The Association had its first Ethic violation-we had a member try to obtain a job as a Certified Equipment Manager when he was not Certified. Received a three suspension from membership.
• Steve Songy of the New York Giants formed the Internet committee for the first time.

1995

• Convention was held in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• 318 members in attendance
• 83 Exhibitors were in attendance using 105 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Mike Hill (Tulane Univ.)
• The AEMA started a job placement service, where a member could send an open position ad to the National Office.
• First issue of the AEMA Journal was sent to every member at no cost to them. Each Journal had an exam that Certified member could take, submit, and if they scored 70% or better could earn .5 CEU’s
• A ballot was sent to the membership to purchase the rights to our Certification Manual from Health Care Forum for $5000.00.  94% of the membership vote to proceed with the buyout of those rights.
• Fiscal year for the AEMA changed to February 1 each year to January 31 for auditing purposes. Yearly membership dues would remain June 1- May 31.
• The resource center was forced to begin charging a small fee for making copies of VHS tapes for the membership ($5.00/tape for the US addresses- $8.00 each for Canadian). Tapes had been processed at no charge by the member submitting a blank tape.
• The Certification Exam committee asked members to write test questions for the exam.  12 questions were worth .5 CEU’s

1996

• Convention was held in Orlando, Florida.
• 354 members in attendance
• 80 Exhibitors were in attendance using 109 Booth
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Alan Ansell (Bishops Univ.
• Standards were established for Retired Emeritus membership status.  (1) proof of age 55 and (2) letter of retirement sent to the National Office.
• Steve Songy (New York Giants) set up first Home Page on the Internet.

1997

• Convention was held in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• 383 members in attendance
• 85 Exhibitors were in attendance using 116 Booths
• Membership hit 500
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Mike Searles (Ashland Univ.).
• Bar codes were added to Convention badges to enable scanning at workshops for CEU credit.

1998

• Convention was held in Phoenix, Arizona.
• 318 members in attendance
• 83 Exhibitors were in attendance using 105 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Steve Bartel (San Diego State Univ.)
• Will Rodecap formed the Curriculum Development Committee. The purpose was to develop a Masters degree program in Equipment Management.
• The Office Manager was made a full-time position and a National search was done. Mary O’Leary (Miami of Ohio) was offered the position, but elected to stay at her job at Miami of Ohio. Jennifer Jalet was hired.
• George Fern Co. hired to handle our Exhibitor Contracts and Exhibit hall set-up.
• 25-year Commemorative watches (provided by Josten’s, Inc) were offered to AEMA members at the cost of $115.00

1999

• Convention was held in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• 425 members in attendance
• 117 Exhibitors were in attendance using 147 Booths
• 1999 was the 25th anniversary of the AEMA.  Membership took its largest jump, surpassing the 700 mark.
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Dorothy Cutting (Cornell Univ.)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Randy Fogle
• January of 1999–Dorothy Cutting was made Interim Office Manager, replacing Jennifer Jalet.  With the assistance of Dale Strauf, co-worker Cassie Cortright, Jon Falk, Suzette Madej, and daily calls to Mary O’Leary,  managed to get the AEMA affairs in order and running smoothly.
• Suzette Madej was named Interim Treasure of the AEMA.  Responsibilities include checking all transactions (with the Executive Director and the AEMA Accountants), handling all bank transactions and assisting with Vendor Contracts.
• First advertising for the “Scoreboard” newsletter.  Ads were Business card sized.
• Member numbers assigned in CEU tabulation replacing the use of Social Security numbers.
• First look at an AEMA Web site and a discussion group was started by Don Barnes. Site consisted of only a Home page prior.
• Adams, USA became the sponsor of the Awards Luncheon

2000

• Convention was held in Pasadena, California.
• 358 members in attendance
• 96 Exhibitors were in attendance using 127 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Dino Dennis (Univ. of Southern California)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Jim Fagan
• On October 1st of 2000 we lost the father of our organization, Glenn Sharp. Glenn was a friend and a mentor to every Equipment Manager who had the pleasure to cross his path.
• Dale Strauf (Cornell Univ.) was elected President for two (2), three year terms (2000-2006).
• Kelly Jones (Gettysburg College) appointed CEC/CSC Chairperson.
• A new Role Delineation was written establishing the new foundation for a new Certification Manual.

2001

• Convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
•  482 members in attendance
• 104 Exhibitors were in attendance using 131 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Jon Falk (Univ. of Michigan)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Chick Napolitano
• Dorothy Cutting became the full time Office Manager and Suzette Madej was hired as the  full time AEMA Treasurer.  National Office located at 460 Hunt Hill Rd, Freeville, NY
• National Office assigned tracking of member CEUs and Resource Center services.
  • Price of videos=$15.00
  • Periodicals= $5.00
• Introduction of the Booker Kilgore Award
• Exhibitors were given the option of purchasing mailing labels of AEMA members for $2.00 per sheet.
• Association saw its second ethics violation.  District Director used the District’s account for personal use. The penalty was permanent removal from membership in the AEMA
• Dues were raised from $60.00 to $75.00 with $10.00 going to the District.

2002

• Convention was held in New Orleans, Louisiana.
• 441 members in attendance
• 91 Exhibitors were in attendance using 116 Booths
• Membership rose to over 800
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Andy Dixon (Univ. of Illinois)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Vern Walck
• Site presentations at the General Meeting with membership voting on site selection for two cities at one time. First place gets choice of two years; second place gets the option for the other year
• After asking members to submit
• Members asked to submit new logo design.  Original logo redefined, updated and put on CD for future use.
• Tier Perks for AEMA Contributors were developed
  • Contribution – $700.00
    • Free set of Mailing Labels for entire organization
  • Contribution – $2500.00
    • Free Set of Mailing Labels for entire organization, 1 business card size ad in all (3) newsletters for the year of donation, $200.00 credit toward booth rate
  • Contribution – $5000.00
    • Free Set of Mailing Labels for entire organization 1 business size ad in all (3) newsletters for the year of donation, one free booth
  • Contribution – $10000.00 Gift
    • Free Set of Mailing Labels for entire organization, 1 business size ad in all (3) newsletters for the year of donation, two free booths
• The Glenn Sharp Wall of fame, containing pictures of each winner,  was unveiled at the General Meeting. Wall will be shipped to each Convention for display.
• Ballot was sent out to the membership.  Determined that a Certification Manual upgrade would be done by Momentum Media

2003

• Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 428 members in attendance
• 115 Exhibitors were in attendance using 146 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Dan Siermine (U.S. Air Force Academy)
• Hall of Fame (later named Life Time Achievement Award) was unveiled.  This is an addition to the Glenn Sharp wall.  First inductees were Glenn and Helen Sharp
• Helen Sharp attended and spoke to the membership
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Dick Kemper
• Exhibitor rates and booth size increased. Rates went from $600.00 to $750.00.  Booth size when from 8’x10’ to 10’x10’.
• The AEMA lost Jeff Boss to cancer. Jeff was a major proponent of Certification( Jim Roberts is considered ” Father of Certification”).  Jeff’s ending to a correspondence was always “There is no end”–referencing his devotion to the program.

2004

• Convention was held in Kansas City, Missouri .
• 431 members in attendance
• 105 Exhibitors were in attendance using 130 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Mike Royster (Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga)
• Jeff Boss (LSU) was the only inductee to the Life Time Achievement Wall
•  Booker Gilgore Award was presented to Dave Rangel
• New manual was finished and copies sent to the Board of Directors.  Available to membership at Convention. Cost was $35.00 at Convention.  Additional $6.00 added for shipping.
• Al Ansell (Bishops Univ.) put together a committee to write test question for the next test from the new Certification Manual.
• Exam fee was raised to include the manual ($160.00 by April 1.  $235.00 with late fee prior to May 1).
• CSC Chairperson was added as a seat on the Board of Directors

2005

• Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
• 501 members in attendance
• 97 Exhibitors were in attendance using 129 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Kelly Jones (Gettysburg College)
• Jon Falk (Univ. of Michigan) and Dale Strauf (Cornell Univ.) were inductees to the Life Time Achievement Wall
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Jim Conant
• Certification exam given from the new Certification Manual (record 74 members took the exam).

2006

• Convention was held in Buffalo, New York. First Convention in District #1
• 479 members in attendance
• 102 Exhibitors were in attendance using 133 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to John “Stony” Stone
•  Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Al Oldenburg
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Jason Eisenhour
• Mike Royster (Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga) elected President, Arnie Wilhoite (Georgia Southern Univ.) elected Vice President.  President’s term now 4 years (from 3 years).
• Another record number of applicants for the exam with 75.
• Forced to replace longtime videographers Ken and Jessie Hardesty (lost their home, belongings and equipment in Hurricane Katrina).

2007

• Convention was held in Reno, Nevada.
• 513 members in attendance
• 98 Exhibitors were in attendance using 127 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Tex Ritter (Ball State Univ.)
•  Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mary O’Leary (Miami-Ohio)
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Ed Hill
• Dale Strauf (Cornell Univ.) retired and stepped down from the Associate Director seat.  Dan Siermine (U.S. Air Force Academy) was voted into that position by the Board of Directors.
• Mary O’Leary (Miami of Ohio) was awarded the Life Time Achievement award.

2008

• Convention was held in Dallas, Texas.
• 478 members in attendance
• 91 Exhibitors were in attendance using 116 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Meli Resendiz (Northwestern Univ.)
• The Life Time Achievement award was presented to Billy Pickard (Texas A&M) and Chick Napaliano
• The Booker Kilgore award was given to Art Rosales (Detroit Country Day HS)
• AEMA Journal now online.

2009

• Convention was held in Jacksonville, Florida.
• 424 members in attendance
• 93 Exhibitors were in attendance using 118 Booths
• Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Lynn Williams (Univ. of Louisiana @ Lafayette).
•  A Life Time Achievement Award was presented to Gary Barfield (Russell).
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to James Paradise
• Three candidates were nominated for the Presidential election-Meli Resendiz (Northwestern Univ.), Mike Royster (Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga), and Dan Siermine (U.S. Air Force Academy).
• Launched a new web site in November of 2009

2010

• Convention was held in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• 433 members in attendance
• 83 Exhibitors were in attendance using 120 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Matt Lewis (Texas Christian Univ.)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Jess Jiminez
•  First Certification Exam offered in Raleigh, NC
• Jon Falk (Michigan) retires as Executive Director.  Presented an engraved AEMA watch for his many years of service.
• Mike Royster (UT-C) named Executive Director.  Matt Lewis (TCU) named Associate Executive Director.
• Dan Siermine (Air Force) elected the President.  Meli Resendiz (Northwestern) elected Vice President
• AEMA launched another new web site designed by Dustin Maxie and updated by the National Office

2011

• Convention was held in Sacramento, California.
• 401 members in attendance
• 72 Exhibitors were in attendance using 104 Booths
• Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Kris Young (Colorado State Univ.)
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Rocky Sherman
• Board of Directors voted to raise National Dues to $100.00 for Active and Associate members.  Late fee of $25.00 after May 31. Voted to not change the rates for student members.

2012

• Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio.  Convention was set to be at the Crown Plaza.  Few months prior to Convention, the Crown Plaza was sold and torn down.  Ended up in the Renaissence Cleveland Hotel. Hotel sold out.  Able to obtain the Marriott as an overflow hotel (also sold out).  Prior to Convention the Convention Center was torn down as well. Had to set up exhibits in Public Hall (several blocks away). Members shuttled to the vendor exhibits.
• 440 members in attendance
• 78 Exhibitors were in attendance using 105 Booths
• Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Clifton Perry (Princeton Univ).
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Norman Walker, Jr.
•  First year workshops were offered at AFCA

2013

• Convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 508 members in attendance
• 81 Exhibitors were in attendance using 105 Booths
• Glenn Sharp Winner was Greg Morgenthaler (U.S. Naval Academy)
•  Booker Kilgore Award was presented to Stephen Spada
• Board of Directors voted to proceed with a new website.
• Matt Lewis (TCU) stepped down as Associate Executive Director due to new job responsibilities. Matt Althoff (Univ. of Virginia) was appointed to the position.

2014

• Convention was held in Jacksonville, Florida.
  • Managers on a Mission held the first Services at Convention
• 434 members in attendance
• 91 Exhibitors were in attendance using 110 Booths
• The Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Larry Hare (Univ. of Kansas)
•  Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Ken Hart (Richmond), Bill Jarvis (Northwestern), Bob Knickerbocker (Michigan State), and Tex Ritter (Ball State)
• Dan Siermine (Air Force Academy was named President of the AEMA for a second term. Clifton Perry from Princeton University was named Vice President
• Launched the new website in February 2014.  Phyllis Lee (CITTA) and Meli Resendiz (Northwestern) put together a state of the art website for the Association.
• First mid-year Board of Directors meeting via phone on 2/26/14
• Requirements for Certification Exam changed.  Applicants need to hold a 4-year college degree or must be a student in pursuit of a 4-year degree. Hours of experience requirement (for a student) changed to 1400 hours
•  Started providing Convention attendees’ e-mail addresses to Exhibitors

2015

• Convention held in Indianapolis, IN
•  499 members in attendance
• Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Scott Jess (Bowling Green State Univ.)
•  Last year Golf Tournament was part of the Convention format
•  Dorothy Cutting retired (July 31) as National Office Manager (1999-2015).  Sam Trusner hired to fill the position.
•  Journal tests moved to online submissions
•  Association now on major social media formats (Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, YouTube, etc.)
•  New Certification Manual in progress

2016

• Convention held in Las Vegas, Nevada
•  515 members in attendance
• 99 Exhibitors using 122 booths
•  Glenn Sharp Award presented to Matt Althoff (Virginia)
•  Lifetime Achievement Awards presented to Billy Rice (Schutt), Daryl Buente (Evansville), and Dorothy Cutting (AEMA)
•  Booker Kilgore Award presented to Dr. Gerard Giuricich (Blair Academy)
•  New logo and branding formats established
•  First National Office space rented (Bement, IL)
•  Helmet Tracker assumes scanning for workshops and vendor attendance/CEU credit
•  Third edition of the Certification Manual available.  No longer included in the exam fee.
•  Presentation and proposal to NFL Equipment Managers made in Charlotte, NC
•  GA/Restricted Earnings category added to membership

2017

• Convention held in Atlanta, Georgia
  • Format changed to three (3) days to accommodate summer obligations
•  504 members in attendance
•  85 exhibitors using 110 booths
•  Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Troy Jepsen (Drake)
•  Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to William John Brick (U.N.X.) and David “Sarge” Tinga (Wake Forest)
•  NFL Equipment Managers accept AEMA proposal
•  NFL Certification test site added
•  MLB Clubhouse Managers presentation at Winter Meetings in Washington, DC by Sam Trusner (AEMA)
•  NBA presentation in Chicago by Mike Valentine (Northwestern)
•  Certification windows now end June 30th

2018

• Convention held in Phoenix, Arizona
•  528 members in attendance
• 99 vendors using 119 booths
•  Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Ron Ohringer (Maryland)
•  Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Douglas Pads & Sports (Roger Douglas, Doug Douglas, and Jeff Douglas)

2019

•  Convention held in Indianapolis, Indiana
• 504 members in attendance
•  Glenn Sharp Award was presented to Kerry Conner (Louisiana-Lafayette)
• Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Texon Towel & Supply (Wayne Kotulic, Sr. and Wayne Kotulic, Jr.) and Greg Payne (Stephen F. Austin)
•  NFL Equipment Managers for Professional Football Equipment Managers Society (PFEMS).  Membership requires AEMA Certification

2020

• Convention was to be held in Ft. Worth, Texas.  Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
•  New NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (10 years) required all new Head Equipment Managers to
  be Certified by the AEMA
• Glenn Sharp Award presented to Robin Wert-Eller (Franklin and Marshall University)

2021

• National Convention held virtually for the first time (Scheduled for Atlanta, GA). 647 members participated in the four-day event.
• Executive Director Mike Royster (Univ. of Tennessee-Chattanooga) retires. Matt Althoff (University of Virginia) appointed to be the new Executive Director by the Executive Board.
• Glenn Sharp Award presented to every member of the AEMA in acknowledgment of their dedication and hard work in response to the COVID epidemic.

2022

• National Convention held in Las Vegas, NV. 435 members attended the event.
• 86 Exhibitor booths were sold.
• Chris Dountas (Univ. of Pittsburg) appointed Associate Executive Director.
• Meli Resendiz (Northwestern Univ.) elected President. Katrina Campbell (North Carolina A& T
  Univ.) was selected as the Vice President.
• Mackenzie Rivers (Univ. of Connecticut) awarded the Glenn Sharp Award.
• Ronald Turner (St. Mark’s School of Texas) awarded the Booker Kilgore Award.
• Mike Royster, Kelly Jones, Suzette Madej, Alan Ansell, & Marty Clark awarded Lifetime
  Achievement Awards.
• Riddell, Inc. announced a three-year commitment (with the right to revisit in the future)toth
  establish the Riddell/AEMA Career Boost Program for Student Managers interested in continuing
  their involvement in the profession. Riddell will underwrite all costs for the three
  scholarships.
• Kelly Jones appointed AEMA Treasurer/Operations Manager.
• Board of Directors approved the addition of an External Communications Committee. Anthony Martin
  (Rutgers) named Chair.,
• Membership & Engagement Committee created in Ad Hoc status.

2023

• National Convention held in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 344 members in attendance. Power 5
  conferences had a meeting two weeks prior in the same location.
• 68 vendors filled 81 booth spaces with 190 employees.
• Phil Junis (Johns Hopkins Univ.) awarded the Glenn Sharp Award.
• Fred Brussel (The Groton School) awarded the Booker Kilgore Award.
• Laura Wong (Univ. of California-Berkeley) was awarded a Service Award for work as the District 9 CEU
  Rep.
• New requirements to sit for the Certification Exam to be enforced starting in 2025.

2024

• 50th Anniversary celebration was held in Atlanta, Georgia. 404 members were in attendance
• 63 vendors occupied 74 booth spaces
• A tour and luncheon was held at the College Football Hall of Fame
• Al Cerbe (Kansas State University was awarded the Glenn Sharp Award
• Paul Miller (Landon High School was awarded the Booker Kilgore Award
• Lifetime Achievement awards were presented to Greg Morgenthaler (U.S. Naval Academy), Robert Jones (Univ. of California-Davis), and Chris Matlock )Univ. of South Carolina).
• The Board voted to raise dues in 2026 to $300.00 per year, to include Convention registration fee, Zoom meeting cost, CEU expenses, and the monthly newsletter.
• The Board proceeded with the hiring process for a full-time Executive Director.