Steve Pasierb

As president & chief executive of The Toy Association, Steve Pasierb leads a globally-focused trade association representing the broad toy & play industry and is dedicated to being a unifying force for members’ creativity, responsibility, and global success, advocating for their needs and championing the benefits of play.

The Toy Association’s 950+ member companies include manufacturers, retailers, licensors, inventors, and service providers that account for 90% of all U.S. toy sales with an annual U.S. economic impact of $110.9B. Its external affairs programs effectively advocate for industry-related issues, regulations, and standards at the state, federal, regional, and international government levels; its go-to-market trade events, including Toy Fair New York, attract global audiences; its high-impact communications programs and digital assets advance the industry while The Genius of Play program educates consumers on the developmental benefits of play; and its philanthropic endeavors now extend to advancing industry diversity, equity, and inclusion, while continuing to serve millions of children in need each year in communities and pediatric hospital settings.

Prior to The Toy Association, Pasierb served as president & CEO of Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing adolescent substance abuse, created by a coalition of media trade organizations led by the American Association of Advertising Agencies. He spent more than 20 years in adolescent public health and media advocacy, worked in the Maryland state government, and served in marketing communications and broadcast radio. He has testified before U.S. House and Senate committees on multiple occasions through his work with the White House on emerging health issues. He is considered an expert source quoted across broadcast, print, and social media both in the U.S. and worldwide.

Pasierb holds a Master of Education with honors in Communications Media and a Bachelor of Science in Criminology. He serves on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Association Committee of 100, is a permanent observer to the ICTI Ethical Toy Program, secretariat to the International Council of Toy Industries, secretariat to the International Toy Industry CEO Roundtable, member of ASTM International, the American Society of Association Executives, and the Council of Manufacturing Associations.