PARSONS RECEIVES INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FAIRS AND EXPOSITIONS CERTIFIED FAIR EXECUTIVE STATUS
Jeremy Parsons of the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa, was honored at the 2017 Management Conference of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE) as a recipient of the Certified Fair Executive (CFE) designation.
The purposes of the CFE program are: a) to provide incentive for professional improvement in fair management; b) to recognize those who achieve the specific standards; and c) to develop professional status in the field of fair management. Certification also honors those members who have demonstrated their abilities through years of service to their fairs, fair associations, communities, and the Association.
He was one of 9 CFE recipients this year that were honored during a ceremony at the IAFE Management Conference in Spokane, Wash.
Parsons has served as CEO/Manager of the Clay County Fair since November 2011. Billed as “The World’s Greatest County Fair” and home to the largest farm machinery and ag equipment show at any fair in the United States, the Clay County Fair draws nearly 330,000 people each year during its nine-day run in September.
He also served as executive director of the Missouri State Fair Foundation, and prior to that, was a high school teacher and coach at Newtown-Harris R-3 in Newtown, Mo.
Parsons, a native of Leon, Iowa, is a 1995 graduate of Central Decatur High School and a 1998 graduate of Southwest Baptist University.
He and his wife, Kelsi, have three sons and live in Spencer.
ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FAIRS AND EXPOSITIONS (IAFE)
The International Association of Fairs and Expositions (IAFE), based in Springfield, Mo., is a voluntary, nonprofit corporation, serving state, provincial, regional, and county agricultural fairs, shows, exhibitions, and expositions. Its associate members include non–agricultural expositions and festivals, associations, corporations, and individuals engaged in providing products and services to its members, all of whom are interested in the improvement of fairs, shows, expositions, and allied fields.