Alexandria, VA, USA (April 2, 2014) — The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) welcomes three new staffers to its headquarters office in Alexandria, Virginia: Rosaria Leong, controller; Kavita Avasthi, manager of accounting and human resources; and Molly Fernandes, marketing director.
Rosaria Leong began at IAAPA in February after her seven-year tenure at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization where she served as an accountant, senior accountant, and then controller. Prior to that, Leong worked at Halt, Buzas, Powell CPAs as an accountant in the outsourced services department. As IAAPA’s controller, Leong has overall responsibility for the association’s financial records, including ledgers and statements. She oversees the association’s annual audit as well as establishes internal controls and financial policies. Leong has a B.S. degree in management from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, and an M.B.A. in finance from Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
Before joining IAAPA in February, Kavita Avasthi served as an accounts payable and payroll specialist for the Children’s Defense Fund, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. In her role as IAAPA’s manager of accounting and human resources, Avasthi implements employee compensation and benefit programs and manages the association’s day-to-day accounting programs including accounts payables and receivables. Avasthi has worked in human resources and accounting since 2006 and holds a B.A. in history from Delhi University in New Delhi, India.
Molly Fernandes joined IAAPA as its marketing director in February after working 10 years in various capacities at Consumer Electronics Association, including member relations and International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) exhibitor marketing. Fernandes is responsible for the development and implementation of marketing initiatives and campaigns related to IAAPA’s programs, products, and services, including promoting IAAPA events. Fernandes holds a B.A. degree in both Government/Politics and Spanish from the University of Maryland in College Park and an M.S. degree in marketing from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.