The ABS Team

Leadership

Karla Pollack and Paula Hartman are founders and principals of ABS, a certified WBE owned and controlled company. ABS has demonstrated a proven track record with clients in the public and private sectors on a wide variety of association management and marketing projects. Our success is derived from helping organizations succeed in their goals.

Karla Pollack, Principal

Karla Pollack has a deep understanding of all aspects of Association Management. Prior to founding ABS, she served as Director of Member Services and Marketing Manager for the 21,000 member New Jersey Business & Industry Association. She brings solid marketing experience and creative approaches to recruitment and retention, event sponsorship and trade show coordination.

Whether working with Board Members, Executive Directors or Association Members, Karla's expertise in problem solving will bring the needed effectiveness to meeting client goals.

Karla has served as a board member of the Trenton Rotary Foundation and the Trenton Rotary Club (President in 2004/2005). She currently serves on the Board of the Rescue Mission of Trenton and the Central Jersey Chapter of the Executive Women’s Golf Association (EWGA).

She also owned Varsity Liquors, a fine wine shop in Princeton, NJ for six years, adding another level to her business management experience.

Karla earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA.

Paula Hartman, Principal

Paula Hartman - Paula has over 20 years of project management experience. Her experience working with associations includes member services, public relations, communications, research and community relations. Paula has also helped create new systems and approaches that have enabled organizations to act quickly and decisively.

She has concurrently managed the growth and development of more than ten associations ranging in size from 200 to 4,500 members with annual budgets ranging from $50,000 to $2 million. Her experience with budget preparation ensures all initiatives support an organization's mission and facilitates effective use of resources.

Prior to founding ABS, she served as a member of the Executive Branch of the State of NJ, providing project management services for the NJ Department of Labor. In that role, she worked on the first statewide business plan, a major reorganization of state agencies for the purpose of consolidating administration and other common business resources.

Previous to public service, Paula spent five years working at the state's top lobbying and association management group in Trenton, NJ. Her expertise with community outreach includes developing PR campaigns, ensuring all aspects of client communications from press release development to media relations are effective and successful in their corporate responsibility initiatives.

Paula served as Vice-Chair of the Mercer County Workforce Investment Board. The Board offers programs and services to provide employers access to qualified workers, and equip job seekers to compete in today’s job market. She currently serves on the Nominating Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives (MASAE).

Heidi Harrington, Director of Finance

Heidi Harrington specializes in nonprofit financials. In addition to managing the ABS office, she brings great attention to detail and best practices to her work with ABS clients.

She provides daily bookkeeping for membership dues, event registration and other revenue streams. She generates financial statements, reconciliations and assists with budget preparation. She processes the Annual Report to the State and 1099s for subcontractors at year-end. Heidi also monitors insurance policies, organizes and submits audit info to client’s CPA to ensure the 990 and the CRI are submitted in a timely and accurate manner.

Heidi serves as Treasurer of her Church. Heidi attended Rutgers University and is pursuing her CPA.

Elizabeth (Libby) Vinson, Vice President

Elizabeth (Libby) Vinson specializes in government affairs, public relations and communications at Association Business Solutions. She joined the company in 2006 after working nearly a decade for the nation's largest statewide employer association where she coordinated the association’s lobbying efforts in education, workforce development, small business, and federal business issues. For many years, Libby also directed the association's grassroots activities, including a network of 18 local employer groups.

Libby is very active in local politics and community initiatives and is a graduate of the Christine Todd Whitman Series, a leadership program for women in New Jersey. She has served on several local boards including membership on the Mercer County Community College Board of Trustees. She continues to be an active member of the Women's Political Caucus and other civic organizations in her community.

Libby is a graduate of Lehigh University in Bethlehem and earned her Master's degree in Politics and Public Affairs from the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.

Beverley A. Carter, Executive Assistant

Beverley Carter provides administrative support for client events, membership mailings, data entry and a variety of other projects. She gained extensive member organization and administrative experience while working for the Governor’s office, the New Jersey Association of Counties and the Broad Street Bank Building Apartment Management Company.

The ABS Team

Dr. Fred J. Abbate, Strategic Planning
Complete Bio

Melissa Charry, Graphic Designer

Melissa DeFranco, Events

Gudrun Frank, Web Designer, Internet Consultant

Brad Mohr, Database Programming

Kim Moriak, Event Planner

Prudence Shapcott, Market Research
Complete Bio

Mark R. Wille, Resource Development & Board Governance
Complete Bio

Barry Wise, Online Reputation Management

Sasha Zoltanski, Events