HERNDON, VA. (July 5, 10:40 a.m. ET) — Design is shaping up to be a difficult discipline to manage. The Industrial Designers Society of America has joined the Design Management Institute as leading U.S. design trade associations that are seeking a new leader.

The Herndon, Va.-based IDSA late last week announced that Clive Roux had left the nonprofit organization, after serving as its chief executive officer since September 2009. Roux, a South African who previously worked nearly 17 years with the Dutch group Philips Design, had taken the IDSA post after a five-month search to replace Frank Tyneski, who held the job for just 18 months.

Boston-based DMI, meanwhile, also is on the hunt for a new leader again, after Karen Reuther last month stepped down as president of the nonprofit group after just a year in the post. She said at the time: “I have made the personal decision to resign from my position as president of DMI and will be returning to a creative role where my passion for designing great products and experiences is best aligned.” Reuther previously worked 12 years for Nike Inc., owned a small design firm in Munich, Germany, and most recently, worked at Ziba Design in Portland, Ore.

DMI has engaged Tom Lockwood, its president from 2006-2011, who now is president and founder of Lockwood Resource LLC, to lead the search for a replacement.

IDSA on June 28 posted a notice on its website at idsa.org stating that, “Having navigated IDSA through some difficult economic times and seeing it on the road to recovery, Roux has decided to move on to other challenges.” It added that Brian Vogel, an IDSA fellow, will step in as interim executive director until a replacement is found. Vogel, who helped spearhead the search that found Roux, is a former executive vice president of IDSA and principal at Brian Vogel Consulting.