Iris M. Rush, CAE is the Executive Director for the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (www.ARVO.org). Mrs. Rush served as Interim Executive Director from Dec. 2013 through Dec. 2014 and COO from April 2011 through Dec. 2013. ARVO has 11,000 members worldwide.
Previously, Mrs. Rush worked at Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) with progressive growth over a 20 year period. She was instrumental in taking RAPS out of multi-management into a self-managed 501C(3) in 1991, staff of 2. Staff in 2011, 38. In this role she provided oversight including finance, HR, IT, lease and facilities mgt., membership and other business operations. Mrs. Rush managed the Regulatory Affairs Certification Program (RAC), bringing the program in-house in 1998 growing it from 200 candidates average pr year to 1,000 and took the exam from paper/pencil to online testing format.
1989-1991, Mrs. Rush was Business Mgr. for an FDA Consulting firm, AAC Consulting (Kendle), in Washington, DC. She worked for various departments within the Office of Regulatory Resource Management at the Food and Drug Administration from 1982 through 1989.
Mrs. Rush is CAE certified. She has various studies in Business Administration and Human Resources from Montgomery College and the University of Maryland’s UMUC. Mrs. Rush has held various volunteer leadership roles including the Chair of the Business Operations Section Council for the American Society of Association Executives. She is an active member in both ASAE and SHRM. Her dedication to non-profits reaches beyond her current position as she has served as Chair and various other volunteer committee roles to support community non-profits.