Rick Van Brimmer of Ohio State University has been elected to succeed Sesame Workshop’s Maura Regan as chairman of the board of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association.

Additionally, current board member James Slifer of The Joester Loria Group was elected as vice chairman, and Pete Yoder of Cartoon Network was voted to the executive committee as the liaison to the board of directors.

Four new members will also begin terms on the LIMA board including:

“We are pleased to have such a dynamic group of licensing professionals join our board of directors, led by Rick Van Brimmer and James Slifer,” says Charles Riotto, president, LIMA. “This year’s four new board members bring a wealth of industry insight and know-how, which will have a positive impact on our members as well as the overall licensing community. We’re especially pleased to welcome a retailer to the LIMA board, who will add to the mix a unique and valuable perspective that will benefit our entire association.”

Brimmer has worked in licensing for Ohio State University since 1990, where he has seen royalty revenues grow from less than $1 million annually to more than $14 million. In his current role as assistant vice president for business advancement, affinity and trademark management, he oversees the licensing program, athletic merchandising and a variety of university-wide sponsorship and affinity contracts. Brimmer is also a member of the International Collegiate Licensing Association Hall of Fame.

Slifer is senior vice president of business development at The Joester Loria Group, where he has worked since 2001. He specializes in brand, media and entertainment licensing and in the creation, management and business development of successful trademark licensing programs for global consumer brands.

Continuing LIMA board members, who will serve three-year terms, include:

Outgoing board members are Susie Lecker (Fisher-Price), Marty Malysz (Dependable Solutions), Carla Peyton (BBC Worldwide Americas), Jennifer Richmond (Richmond Management Group) and Cheryl Stoebenau (CAS Marketing).