From POMA Executive Director Rob Sexton
I have some news to share. On January 1, 2026, I will become the Senior Vice President of the Sportsmen’s Alliance (SA). The Alliance is a national non-profit advocacy organization that fights for the rights of American sportsmen and women. I was previously on staff with the organization and think the world of their mission.
While this is exciting news in my personal life, it means I am giving up the majority of my private consulting practice, which includes my tenure as Executive Director of POMA, effective December 31, 2025. It has been a little over two years since the POMA Board of Directors appointed me to this position, and I am grateful to POMA President Britney Booth and the entire board for the opportunity.
While there is still much to do, we have covered a lot of ground since October of 2023 beginning with a rebuild of both our website and our member database. We planned and held our Annual Meeting in Ohio on Maumee Bay that included a revitalized Range Experience thanks to POMA First Vice President Justin Morrissey and NSSF. We reinstituted POMA Meet-Ups at major events (now called POMA Basecamps). And most important, we turned our focus on member value. Through all of these efforts, we turned around a decline in membership both on the Corporate Partner and Media Member sides of the organization. POMA is growing again.
Our board has become much more active through a robust committee structure designed by Britney. And we’re in the midst of planning our 2026 Annual Meeting (now called the POMA Summit), to take place at Wild Wings of Oneka in Minnesota. There are many more exciting things in the works for 2026.
The bottom line is this. It is bittersweet to leave an organization that is on the right track. I am very grateful to our staff. Our bookkeeper Courtney Swanson has endured two changes in our record keeping over the last two years and kept us on track through it all. Our Communications Director is an organizational machine. I don’t know what we would have done without Stephanie Spika Hickey to make sure the trains continue to run.
These are things that leave me excited as my time as your Executive Director comes to an end. POMA has great leadership on its board. And it will have great leadership at the staff level as Stephanie takes on this role as well. POMA members are in good hands. Thank you to all that have supported the organization and for the good times we’ve had in my two plus years as Executive Director.
I will see many of you at SHOT Show in just a few weeks. Merry Christmas to all!