NAID members support merger

In March, the board of directors for the Phoenix-based National Association of Information Destruction (NAID) unanimously approved bylaws that would result in a merger between NAID and PRISM International, the Chicago-based association that represents the commercial information management industry. The PRISM board voted in favor of the move in February. However, as with all bylaws changes, member ratification is required before the merger can occur.

“Following the publication of a document addressing all member questions, the ratification decision was put to NAID active members by secret ballot between March 26 and April 6, 2018,” NAID notes in the April 10 edition of its NAIDdirect e-newsletter to members. “As with all NAID electronic ballots, the voting process was conducted by an independent service, which was retained specifically to ensure its accuracy and integrity.”

Bob Johnson, CEO of NAID, says 85 percent of the members who voted supported changing the bylaws.

PRISM members will vote on the proposed bylaw changes at the organizations’ Annual Meeting during the PRISM International Summit in Miami May 8, 2018.

According to the April 10 edition of NAIDdirect, “Comments and sentiments surrounding the decision are generally positive, and the outlook for moving forward is optimistic.”

NAID says that if PRISM members vote in the affirmative, the merged umbrella entity, i-SIGMA (International Secure Information Governance & Management Association), will form over the summer. “As structured in the bylaws, NAID and PRISM International will remain the main outward-facing brands,” NAID notes in NAIDdirect. “An i-SIGMA interim board of directors, formed by the combined NAID and PRISM International boards, will lead the organization until such time as general elections are held in 2020.”