The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has tapped the former head of a major online advertising trade group as its new president and CEO.

The appointment ends a nine-month search to replace former MMA head Mike Wehrs, who led the organization for a year before resigning in December 2009.

Wehrs’ replacement, Greg Stuart, was president and CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) from 2001 through 2007. The IAB is comprised of more than 460 media and tech companies which sell 86 percent of all online advertising in the United States.

“My sense is that the need to evangelize the channel has changed to a need to educate brands and agencies on how to apply the reach and personal and powerful effectiveness of mobile for their brands,” Stuart said in a statement. “The time has come to bring together consumers, global marketers, agencies, the media, technology and carriers to build a best of breed medium in mobile.”

Federico Pisani Massamormile, global chairman for the MMA, said in a statement that Stuart’s track record in galvanizing the IAB and building online advertising made him a good fit for the job.