NCA names two new staffers.

The National Coffee Association has added two seasoned executives to its staff with the appointments of Leecia Manning as director of membership, marketing and events and Alan Kaiser as director of external relations and communications.

Manning will look to develop and promote programs that enhance member value and meet the needs of all segments of the industry. In his role, Kaiser will be responsible for all media relations, issues management and the Association's publications.

Prior to joining the NCA, Manning spent the last seven years at the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA), as director of membership. At the MPA, she distinguished herself by developing the Independent Magazine Group, a committee within the association, which grew to include community, relevant programming and numerous events for smaller and mid-sized companies, a previously underserved membership constituency. Prior to joining the MPA in 2000, Manning was with the Hearst Corporation's Comag Marketing Group.

Kaiser spent the last two years at the Hamilton Group, a boutique Public Relations firm, where as a director, he was responsible for the firm's business to business and financial services accounts. Before the Hamilton Group, Kaiser was a member of the public relations team for IBM's storage systems group overseeing media relations, and for 12 years headed up UST's communications efforts as director of communications