Editorial

Over 25 years' experience as an executive director, leader, and consultant in all aspects of association management:

• Strategic planning and implementation

• Leadership development

• Client relationship management

• Financial planning, budgeting, monitoring, reporting

• Membership promotion and retention

• Publications

• Conferences, trade shows sales/marketing, programming, implementation

• Chapter relations, development, programming, governance, leadership development

• Sponsorships, fund-raising events and programs, and other sources of nondues revenue

• Governance issues, bylaws, policies and procedures manuals, reorganization

• Foundation management

• Led the restructuring of a 30 000 member, 400-chapter organization as it moved from a regional to a state alignment. Developed work plans, organized and trained volunteer committees, wrote new bylaws, policies, and procedures to make the new structure work—all within the first year of the new alignment.

• Guided an association through a name change. Developed the plan and timeline for marketing, rebranding, and awareness efforts which resulted in a successful transition within the planned 14 months and within budget.

• Planned and implemented a membership renewal campaign for an organization that had shown no membership growth for 5 years. The result was a more than 10% increase in new membership and a 20% increase in student membership retention.

• Directed organizations through restructuring conferences to attract more attendees. Reorganized the financial planning and monitoring to enhance profitability. The result was increased attendance and visibility, both by nearly 50% over a 3-year period.

• Developed work plans and timelines to move two organizations from stand-alone operations to an association management company. The process included termination of existing staff, lease negotiation and buy-outs, assigning and training new staff, developing a public relations effort for the membership and the profession. The result was that the organizations were up and running in a totally new environment within the timeframe and budget allocated.

• Planned and implemented leadership training programs to strengthen the leadership of a chapter-based organization. The training helped develop a new set of leaders for the local and state levels and increased chapter meeting attendance by an average of 20%.

• Established bylaws, articles of incorporation, policies, and procedures for the establishment of an education foundation.

• Analyzed existing sponsorship arrangements for an education foundation to establish improved opportunities for both the sponsoring organizations and enhanced financial operations as the foundation moved past a marginally successful capital campaign.

• Directed the planning and implementation of three fund-raising events in the financial services community as part of a capital campaign.

• Developed a reorganization plan for the restructuring of an association's board of directors and committees; then guided the association's leadership to a successful implementation.

Assisted a variety of associations in solving management issues by serving in as an in-house “interim” to bridge the gap between past and incoming management, to assess current policies and procedures, and to provide new ideas for handling old problems

• Million Dollar Round Table: developed a new format for a specialty meeting that resulted in a successful new educational offering

• National Fraternal Congress of America: served as “Interim” Director of Communications, developed communications plan, applied plan to budgets, developed new communications vehicles, and began implementation of plan

• American Society of Plastic Surgeons: served as “Interim” Director of Meetings, managed the logistics for a 6000 attendee/400 exhibits conference, prepared budget as part of new goal-setting process

• RSM McGladrey: general nonprofit, project consulting

• Academy of General Dentistry: analyzed work flow for specific educational activities, interviewed and assessed staff roles and responsibilities as they related to the educational activities

• Academy of General Dentistry Foundation: as “Interim” Executive Director, established sound administrative and financial practices to support the foundation and enhance its fund-raising efforts.

Responsible for new business development, client relationships, general management of associations ranging in budget size from $500 000 to $10 000 000 and memberships of 400–18 000.

Executive Director for 3 professional associations with budgets ranging from $500 000 to

$5 000 000 and memberships of 400–3000.

• Strategic Leadership Forum (10 000 members)

• Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (3000 members)

• Chicago Association of Direct Marketing Education Foundation

• Society of Women Engineers (19 000 members)

• Society of Women Engineers Education Foundation

• Association of Professional Investment Consultants (500 members)

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (12 000 members)

• Roof Tile Institute (50 members)

• Publicity Club of Chicago (500 members)

Executive Director for 3 professional associations and senior account manager for 3 additional associations. Memberships ranged from 400–20 000. Budgets ranged from $250 000–$2 000 000.

• Chicago Association of Direct Marketing (3000 members)

• Chicago Association of Direct Marketing Education Foundation

• Publicity Club of Chicago (500 members)

• National Association of Women Business Owners, Chicago Chapter (600 members)

• National Reading Conference (1000 members)

• National Association of Prenatal Research and Education (1000 members)

Managed a staff of 8 in the planning and implementation of 30 annual conferences and trade shows. Account manager for 10 association clients. Conference attendance ranged from 200–3000 with budgets of $200 000–$1 000 000. Executive Director for two organizations ranging in budget size from $400 000–$750 000 and memberships of 300–1000.

Administrative manager for a 30 000 member professional association. Managed a staff of 15 in the areas of membership, accounting, state and chapter relations, conference management, public relations and publications. Supported the activities of 5 committees, the board of directors, and the executive committee. Developed and monitored the annual $5 000 000 budget.

• National Association of Bank Women (30 000 members)

• National Association of Bank Women Educational Foundation

• American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry (600 members)

• Charles L. Pincus Foundation

• Meeting Professionals International, Chicago Chapter (500 members)

• Committee of 200

• Illinois Dental Laboratory Association

• American Society of Women Accountants/American Woman's Society of CPAs

• American Association of Diabetes Educators

• Society of Research Administrators

• National Association Medical Staff Services

• National Association of Minority Engineering Program Administrators

MS, Northern Illinois University—English Literature

BS, Illinois State University—English major/Music minor

Association Forum of Chicagoland, Board of Directors; Chair, Education Foundation

Today's Chicago Woman Foundation, Board of Directors; Secretary of Board

Girl Scouts of Chicago, Board of Directors

Old Town Triangle (community organization), Membership Chair

“I Will” Award, Association Forum of Chicagoland

President's Award, Chicago Chapter-Meeting Professionals International (presented by the board of directors in recognition of my service as their first executive director)