Elayne Angel
Author of The Piercing Bible

Bethrah Szumski has been one of the most active, involved, and productive APP Members in the organization’s twenty-year history. The Association of Professional Piercers would like to publicly recognize Bethrah for her dedication and service, and to express our deepest gratitude for all of her hard work as she steps down from her long-held post as secretary. She is also stepping down from her positions as chair and member of the Conference Committee.

Her tireless efforts and many accomplishments are truly too copious to list. But a brief summary is in order.

Bethrah has served multiple voluntary terms of service on the Board of Directors as secretary and also as president. She founded the indispensable Conference Committee. She is also an ongoing member of the Conference Curriculum, the Oversight Committee and Members Retreat subcommittees.

Bethrah has a phenomenal skill set, which she has so generously shared with our group. The APP has benefited greatly from her expert organizational abilities, which she utilized to create and maintain accurate records of the group’s history. She remains tasked with maintaining the corporate record for the Oversight Committee. Bethrah has applied her talents in negotiation to critical dealings with hotels and unions. Her verbal strength and public speaking flair have been put to great use throughout her work on behalf of the organization.

Bethrah first became a member of the APP in 1996. Just two years later she was appointed to the position of secretary. She then instituted the Association’s first elections and in 1999 was duly elected to that position. Bethrah served a full three-year term during which (among other things) she reviewed applications for membership from piercers around the world, giving her an expert eye for appropriate studio set-up.

She was then elected president in 2002 and served an additional threeyear term in that position. She is deservingly credited with having played a key role in stabilizing the organization. Bethrah was the deserving recipient of the very first President’s Award, as an acknowledgement of appreciation. She was voted Hardest Working Piercer in 2005.

During her tenure with the APP she organized multiple U.S. conferences and several in Europe. Her conference duties at various points have included contract negotiation, attendee registration, promotion, literature distribution, event scheduling, vendor relations and floor-plan, and hotel and union relations, just to name a few. She has also been an instructor for numerous educational classes and seminars for piercers, healthcare providers, and legislators, teaching courses in the U.S., Holland, Italy, Germany, and Mexico.

Following a three-year hiatus, in May of 2008, Bethrah returned to service as secretary on the Association of Professional Piercers’ Board of Directors. Notably, she restructured the Association’s annual conference planning by establishing the Conference Committee.

Following the APP Conference in 2010, Bethrah stepped down from her Board position and was appointed by the other Directors to the position of secretary as an officer, rather than as a member of the Board. She continued to serve until the position was recently handed off to Aaron Pollack of Flying Tiger Body Art in Auburn, Alabama.

As Aaron stated, he has some “big shoes to fill,” taking over for Bethrah, but we are confident that he will do a great job given his conscientious attitude and the ongoing support that has been generously offered by Bethrah.

Thank you so much, Bethrah, for all that you have done for the Association and the field of professional body piercing. Your hard work has literally changed the landscape of our industry and forever impacted the strength, efficiency, and effectiveness of the organization.