ASTRA’s Sue Warfield Transition Feels Like Toy Story 3

There is a reason Toy Story 3 resonates with adults as much as it does with children.

It is not really a story about toys.

It is a story about change.

Andy is moving forward. His toys are being left behind. Everyone knows that the next chapter is coming, but knowing change is inevitable does not make it comfortable.

That same tension exists whenever a longtime leader steps away from an organization.

ASTRA Begins a New Chapter

The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association recently announced that Sue Warfield will step down as Executive Director. Kathy Trivisonno, currently ASTRA’s Director of Operations, will become Interim Executive Director beginning July 24, 2026, while the organization conducts a national search for its next leader.

Warfield has led ASTRA since 2020, and the transition appears designed to provide continuity rather than disruption. Trivisonno will oversee daily operations, member programs and planning for Marketplace & Academy while the board determines who will lead ASTRA into its next chapter.

That decision comes at an important moment.

The Specialty Toy Market Is Changing Too

The specialty toy community is operating in a market that looks very different from the one it served even a few years ago. Independent retailers and smaller manufacturers are confronting higher costs, changing consumer habits, growing competition for attention and a retail environment increasingly influenced by algorithms, online marketplaces and short-form content. At the same time, parents are surrounded by more products and more ads than ever before.

That is one reason specialty toy retailers—and the broader community ASTRA brings together—remain so important.. They often introduce families to toys that do not have enormous advertising budgets or prominent placement in national chains. They also help parents look beyond packaging, trends and product demonstrations. In fact, I had a podcast episode on the importance of this. You can listen to it on the Toypreneur Podcast.

Honoring the Past Without Repeating It

ASTRA’s next executive director will inherit both the strengths of the existing community and the responsibility of preparing it for a changing marketplace.

That is also one of the central ideas in Toy Story 3. Andy does not keep his toys simply because they were once important, nor does he throw them away because his life is changing. He finds a way for what mattered in one chapter to continue having value in another.