The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) announced today that Lou DiGioia has been promoted to the role of chief operating officer. DiGioia first joined NATO in 2022 as chief financial officer, and he will now oversee the association’s internal operations, including finance, human resources, information technology, and program implementation.
DiGioia has a long history of leadership in national nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining NATO, DiGioia served as the chief operating officer at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. Before that, he served as the executive director of nonprofits such as the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. During his tenure at MATHCOUNTS, he greatly increased the number and diversity of US middle school students engaged in extracurricular math through the creation of The National Math Club, a program which builds student enthusiasm for math by providing schools with free resources to hold after school math clubs. Over one million students have taken part in this program since its inception.
A recognized leader in the nonprofit/association community, DiGioia has served in numerous volunteer roles with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and is a frequent speaker at their conferences on topics relating to nonprofit operations. He earned the Certified Association Executive credential in 2008 and was recognized with one of the profession’s highest honors by being inducted as an ASAE Fellow in 2019. DiGioia holds a BA from Georgetown University, an MBA from George Mason University, and a certificate in Performance Measurement of Nonprofit Organizations from Harvard Business School.
“I am excited that Lou will help lead NATO into the future as we work on behalf of the dynamic theatrical exhibition industry,” said Michael O’Leary, NATO’s President & CEO. “Lou is an avid moviegoer and a natural advocate for movies on the big screen. As COO, his expertise and experience will have an even greater impact promoting and supporting movie theatre owners across the country and around the world.”
“Working at NATO is a dream job for me, and I’m thrilled to be part of building exhibition’s future,” said DiGioia. “NATO’s membership is passionate and creative, and it is an honor to work in this industry every day.”
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