Michael J. Lavery, President and Managing Director

Michael J. Lavery is president and managing director of the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), the world's first and largest circulation-auditing organization and North America's preferred circulation auditor.

With a diverse financial background, including a tenure as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for the internationally known law firm Winston & Strawn, Lavery became ABC's Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services in 1987. In 1988, he accepted the challenge of managing ABC's 2,500 annual audits and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Auditing Services. In 1993, he was named Executive Vice President of Auditing Services, and was subsequently elected President and Managing Director by ABC's Board of Directors in November 1995.

Lavery's tenure has resulted in several key developments at ABC. ABC has moved forward in verifying new and non-traditional, census-based advertiser-supported media which culminated in ABC Interactive, and a number of other supplemental audit services such as Reader Profile and Subscriber Profile, and programs like ABC's Insert Verification Service (IVS) and the extension of audit services to non-paid newspapers. ABC's premium data reporting services have also grown to reflect the quick moving pace of the information age. ABC's electronic data resource, e-Data, now provides subscribers with custom reporting, online analysis tools, and report features that disclose audit status listings and the new ABC Rapid Report that encourages more frequent circulation reporting.

As ABC's seventh President and Managing Director, Lavery takes pride in what ABC stands for. "ABC is trusted by the smallest to the largest media organizations in the industry and we do not take that lightly," says Lavery. "We are proud to be the preferred source of essential media information our members and the industry relies on. That was the case in 1914, and it will be same in 2014."

A certified public accountant, Lavery received a bachelor of science degree from Illinois State University and a master's degree in finance from DePaul University.