Our Management Team

Milton G. Valera, Chairman
Valera has led the National Notary Association since 1982 when he became President and CEO of the largest and most respected organization serving U.S. Notaries. He currently serves fulltime as Chairman of the Association and all of its service entities. In nearly four decades, Valera has overseen all of the Association’s major programs that today define the arena of Notary education and support services. Among his greatest achievements are the creation of two influential, landmark sets of standards for Notaries: The Model Notary Acts of 1984, 2002 and 2010 and their predecessor, The Uniform Notary Act of 1973, and The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility of 1998. Valera also serves as Editor and Publisher of the Association’s two flagship member publications — The National Notary magazine and the Notary Bulletin, and as President of the NNA’s philanthropic arm, the National Notary Foundation. Before his career with the NNA, Valera worked as a newspaper editor, as well as in marketing and public relations. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from California State University, Northridge.

Thomas A. Heymann, President And Chief Executive Officer
Heymann oversees the NNA with an acute focus on strengthening the Association’s educational, service and support programs for the nation’s Notaries, and employers of Notaries. Heymann brings to the Association more than 34 years of experience in executive management and corporate governance in operationally complex, service intensive environments spanning a variety of industries, including education, retail, technology and restaurant. In education he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Knowledge Learning Corporation, the nation’s largest private provider of early education. In retail, Heymann served as President of Disney Stores, Inc., which included their global presence in retail, online and catalog enterprises. In technology, he currently serves as the Presiding Member of EveryPenny, LLC., and has served on the boards of several public technology companies, including MP3.com, Loudeye Technologies, Atari and Tickets.com. Additionally, he was the managing director and co-founder of venture capital firm Digital Coast Ventures. In the restaurant industry, he was co-founder and President of Levy Restaurants and, most recently, CEO of Mastro’s Restaurants, LLC. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from Northwestern University.

Deborah M. Thaw, Executive Vice President
Thaw has been an integral part of the growth and development of the National Notary Association for over three decades. Her service as the NNA’s Executive Director spanned 23 years before she was elevated to Executive Vice President. She has also served as Executive Director of the National Notary Foundation since 1997. Thaw represented the NNA on several state task forces and contributed significantly to the landmark Model Notary Acts and The Notary Public Code of Professional Responsibility. Prior to joining the NNA, Thaw was a reporter and editor for newspapers in Pennsylvania and Los Angeles, and also did radio broadcast work. She earned bachelor of arts degrees in English and journalism from Syracuse University.

Jane Eagle, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Eagle is responsible for the Association’s fiscal oversight and corporate governance. Before joining the NNA in late 2007, she spent five years as the chief financial officer for LoanWeb.com, and 11 years at MetLife Investors, where she rose through the ranks to become CFO. Earlier in her career, Eagle spent three years as a senior accountant for Ernst & Young. She graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and subsequently earned her license as a Certified Public Accountant.

Ronald Johnson, Senior Vice President, Systems and Operation
Johnson is responsible for the NNA’s customer support functions, including the call center, order processing, order fulfillment, shipping and all IT systems and functions. A seasoned executive with a proven track record for implementing and streamlining technology solutions, Johnson previously served on the executive team at Apple Inc. in the unit that developed the Macintosh computer, and as Chief Operation/Technical Officer at Kabbalah Centre International. Most recently he served as Director ofOperations for a Telemedicine project for the Henry Ford Hospital. Born in London, Johnson earned a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of London, an MBA in Economics from the London School of Economics, and is currently working on his PhD in Organization and Management of Nonprofit Organizations.

Thomas K. Hayden, Director of Marketing
Hayden oversees all of the marketing activities for the Association, including strategic initiatives to grow membership. He brings to the NNA over 18 years of marketing and information technology experience with a proven ability to develop and to deliver strategic marketing and technology programs. Prior to the NNA, he was the Director of Marketing Systems for SAGE Publications, a global publisher of Society journals, textbooks, and databases. He has also managed marketing and marketing communication programs for information services, technology, and professional service businesses. Hayden holds a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and marketing from California State University Long Beach.