Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
Appoints William G. Sutton, CAE as President;
Ralph Petta Appointed Chief Operating Officer
ELFA Positioned to Continue Moving Forward Under New Executive Leadership
April 27, 2010 03:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time
WASHINGTON--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--The Equipment Leasing and Finance Association(ELFA),
which represents companies in the $518 billion equipment finance sector, announces the appointment of William G.
Sutton, CAE as President of the ELFA. Ralph Petta, who served previously as interim president of ELFA, was
named Chief Operating Officer.
Most recently, Mr. Sutton served as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of the Association, Education and
Business Institute, Inc, in Arlington, VA. A former U.S. Navy Rear Admiral with 30 years’ military service, Mr.
Sutton previously served as Commerce Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services, a unit of the Department
of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Sutton was
unanimously confirmed by the Senate. He joined the Commerce Department after serving for five years as president
of the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI), an association that represents manufacturers of more than
90 percent of North American-produced central air conditioning and commercial refrigeration equipment. Mr.
Sutton attained the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2007 through the American Society of
Association Executives.
“Our board of directors expressed a unanimous enthusiasm and endorsement for Woody Sutton’s appointment and
we are extremely pleased to have him at the helm of the association,” said Kenneth R. Collins, Jr., Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer of Susquehanna Commercial Finance Inc., and ELFA chairman. “His leadership
combines association, policy and business skills and experience that will enable ELFA to continue moving forward as
the premier trade association of the equipment finance industry.”
Admi