Contact: Ruth Stadius
NAW Communications 
[email protected] 
202.872.0885

(WASHINGTON, DC, June 1, 2016) — National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) and Western International University (West) have partnered to develop the Next Generation Leadership program to support leadership development within the wholesale distribution industry. Leveraging more than 70 years of combined experience in education and wholesale distribution, West and NAW have created Next Generation Leadership to address the most significant competency gaps among the industry’s rising leaders.

For more information about the Next Generation Leadership program, visit http://www.west.edu/naw.

Next Generation Leadership blends independent, online learning with one-on-one coaching and mentoring to ensure current and aspiring company leaders will build important on-the-job skills including critical thinking, communication, meaningful feedback, relationship building, and conflict resolution.

“We’re very excited to be offering company leaders this unique opportunity, and even more excited to see the results,” said Dirk Van Dongen, President of NAW. “Together with Western International University, we have created a tailored program that will reap tremendous benefits as it hones the skills and competencies that today’s workers need to become tomorrow’s leaders.”

Built on a rigorous foundation of proven educational methodologies, Next Generation Leadership was designed so employees would face real-world business challenges, engage with each other and with their sponsors, and leverage brief, consumable learning content to build their leadership skills and develop solutions they can apply at work.

“The future of the wholesale distribution industry will be defined by the next generation of skilled leaders, and by equipping its members to train those leaders, the National Association of WholesalerDistributors is continuing to prove itself as the driving force of talent development within the industry. The program we have launched together will help train individuals who will shape the industry for years to come,” said Tracy Lorenz, President of West.

Executives of wholesale distribution companies are continually identifying the need for evolving employee skills and competencies that arise from new industry practices, increasing competition, and innovation in distribution. NAW and West formed this exclusive partnership to address these needs; Next Generation Leadership is the beginning of a comprehensive set of professional development solutions that NAW and West will cooperatively develop.

About National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors

National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) was created in 1946 to deal with issues of interest to the entire merchant wholesale distribution industry, thereby freeing affiliated associations to concentrate on the concerns specific to their lines of trade. NAW is a federation of wholesale distribution associations and thousands of individual firms that collectively total more than 30,000 companies. Learn more: http://www.naw.org.

About Western International University

Western International University, a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Global, Inc., is a leading private education provider since 1978. Apollo Global, Inc., a consolidated subsidiary of Apollo Education Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: APOL) is a U.S.-based leader in world education with institutions in South America, Mexico, India, Australia, and Europe. Apollo Global institutions provide academic programs serving the business needs of leading companies and online education that best prepares working professionals with the information they need to remain competitive in the workforce.