The staffing industry has lost an iconic leader, dear colleague, role model, and friend. Yesterday Judith Anne Zacha, CSP, ASA past chairman and ASA Leadership Hall of Fame inductee, passed away surrounded by family in St. Joseph, MI.
Prior to her retirement, Zacha was chief executive officer of Beacon Services, which she founded 47 years ago. She served as chairman of the ASA board of directors for two termsâ2001 and 2002. In the 50-year history of the association, there was only one other time, in the early ’70s, that a leader served for more than a single term.
Among the most memorable moments of Zachaâs tenure as ASA chairman was the impassioned message of strength and hope she delivered to her industry colleagues in New York City during Staffing WorldÂź 2001, just three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. ASA president and CEO Richard Wahlquist recalls: âFollowing that convention, Manpower executive and ASA board member Joel Biller wrote me a note, saying thatâdespite the high regard he had for others on the ASA officer trackâafter what he saw and heard in New York, Judy should be named chairman of the board for life.â
Everyone who knew her can attest that Zacha, who founded Beacon Services 47 years ago, was a woman of unparalleled passion for people and for life. She filled every room she entered in with laughter and love. Keenly insightful, she had an inner strength, unassuming sense of self, and a uniquely empathetic quality that drew people to her and allowed her to interact as comfortably with Fortune 500 CEOs as with her own grandchildren.
When called upon to assist the association and industry that she loved, she never said no, and she was chairman of several key ASA committees before being elected as ASA chairman. Wahlquist also shares this memory about Zacha: âShe once said that âpeople may not remember exactly what you did or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel. I sincerely hope this is my legacy.ââ
âNo worries, Judy,â Wahlquist adds. âThat legacy will be forever memorialized in the hearts and minds of us all.â
Read a local news story about the passing of Judy Zacha.
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About the American Staffing Association (ASA)
The American Staffing Association is the voice of the U.S. staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry. ASA and its state affiliates advance the interests of the industry across all sectors through advocacy, research, education, and the promotion of high standards of legal, ethical, and professional practices. For more information about ASA, visit americanstaffing.net.
