LOS ANGELES — Joan Irvine, who has led the ASACP for the past nine years, has resigned as CEO of the online child protection group.
Tim Henning, who has been managing the development of ASACP's infrastructure and reporting hotline as vice president since 1996, will assume responsibility of her duties as interim director effective immediately.
Through the years under Irvine, ASACP has expanded its reach, particularly with its Restricted to Adults, or RTA, program, which has more than 4.5 million sites self-labeled as such.
“News of Joan Irvine's unexpected resignation surprises and saddens all of us involved with the organization" said Alec Helmy, who founded ASACP and is president and publisher of XBIZ. "It takes an extraordinary leader to turn a grassroots project into a world-renowned association, and Joan Irvine did just that.
"With a rock-solid foundation built by its tireless staff and passionate industry contributors, ASACP will forge ahead building upon nine years of remarkable achievements and successes. We wish Joan the best in her future endeavors."
Irvine will join the International Foundation For Online Responsibility as its executive director. IFFOR was formed to act as the regulation body for .XXX, funded primarily by .XXX domain name holders.
Irvine said she has been "honored to serve ASACP, child protection and the industry for the past nine years" and that the decision to move over to IFFOR was a "hard one."
"But I felt it was important that someone who understands the industry, compliance and legislation to take an important place at the table and be part of the policy development process to assure industry interests are best served, which is the goal of IFFOR," Irvine said.
Henning, who himself is well-known in the online adult industry, said it has been a "great experience" to work with Irvine.
"I'm going to miss her endless energy and strength of conviction and purpose she brought to the ASACP mission," he said.
Kim Nielsen, owner of AT Kingdom and a long-time member of ASACP, said that Irvine has been "a truly outstanding leader" for the group.
"I have much admiration for the capabilities and vision she brought to ASACP," Nielsen said. "I wish Joan the very best in her future role and thank her for the tremendous contribution she has made in transforming ASACP from a fledgling organization into the industry's definitive leader in the battle against child pornography."
"We look forward to the challenge of finding a suitable replacement who is able to continue to build upon the work that Joan performed so passionately for the past nine years."