Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
I'm a second
second-generation association management professional.
Both of my parents worked for associations the entire time I was growing up, so
I think that I was lucky to be able to grow up in this
sector and and kinda really see the impact that associations have in our
communities.
I actually was introduced to association management, nonprofit management
in college. A professor had an internship became available
with the state association in Kentucky and asked if anyone wanted to apply...
I had never heard of
trade associations or associations period and...
I went ahead and applied, I was given the position,
and it was a PR
internship with the Kentucky Association of Healthcare Facilities.
After I graduated college a year later, they offered me a full-time position,
in which case I took over their PR program and created a PR program for them
at the state level. That was 1987,
and I have been association management ever since. I ran across the Wood
Component Manufacturers Association, whose executive was ready to retire,
and I started do some work with them, and they
they hired me. That's 30 years ago, and shortly thereafter I joined
ASAE and the Georgia Society of Association Executives to learn more about
association management.
I was a CHA or Craft and Hobby Association member for over
ten years or so and I always wanted to make a difference
in the association that I was a part of...
I just started about six months ago on staff with CHA,
and it's such an exciting time for so many changes and
and movements that are happening, and I can really see, being a staff member,
not only a member now...
I can make such an impact and involve everybody in the process,
and really move us forward.
Well currently I'm responsible for doing
business development for an association management company, so I've served all kinds of
different roles since coming into association management, whether it be PR,
whether it be Member Services,
whether it be fundraising and development for 501-C3s
or an executive-level, executive director capacity
for several different associations. So currently we have
8 associations within our association management company, and they serve
their members and provide a lot of different, creative, innovative ways
of serving their members.
With Craft & Hobby Association, there's twelve different segments from
all sort of creative industries... there's papercrafting and woodworking
jewelry-making
pottery and on and on, and it's just it's extremely passionate.
People care so much about what they do in their businesses,
and beyond that we even I we have a foundation
as well that we're building to
support the arts in different industries, and make sure that those programs are ...
stay important peoples lives I served on the GSAE
foundation, which helps enhance the Association profession...
and they give scholarships to students who are looking to
continue their career, or get into the career
of association management. I have been
actively involved with ASAE and in association management,
and a it's been it's been a very interesting path... and one that I'm
interested and
excited to continue on.