First I need to scold myself for not posting anything in over 19 months. I always tell my clients to not start any type of publication or social media outlet unless you have a publication schedule that is achievable. To be honest I have been so focused on and busy with client work that posting to and the maintenance of my own site took a back seat.
Now that my public scolding is completed we can move on. As I stated earlier I have been very busy with client work but also with my work with the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives (MASAE). In 2014 I was President-Elect and in January 2015 I was elected President. One of my top professional accomplishments and after sitting in the seat for only four months I have a greater understanding for what every volunteer association president struggles with on a daily basis. I truly believe that an association should not hire a management company or high level staff member unless that person/company has been engaged in volunteer activities at the Board or Committee level. Participating in your community or profession at the Board or Committee level will give all the people that serve your leadership and your members a better idea of the daily struggles that a volunteer leader faces. I think this understanding is essential in managing volunteer based groups.
Involvement in one's community and profession also says something about the person. It shows they care about others and that they want to give back.
To end this post I wanted to share my President's article from the most recent MASAE publication so I have included it below. It focuses on openness and engagement and these two items are critical to the success of any organization.
Published in PACE-MASAE's Official Quarterly Publication (published April 17, 2015) - for more information on MASAE please visit www.midatlantic-sae.org
I am excited to have the opportunity to serve as the MASAE President and look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year!
I want to start this President’s article by telling you what MASAE means to me. I have been involved with MASAE for many years and was on the Board of DVSAE and a member of NJSAE. It was many, many years ago when I got involved in DVSAE and by getting involved I mean I was at a DVSAE Social Outing and Mike Taylor talked me into Co-Chairing the Education Committee. That simple conversation started me on a journey that would allow me to serve as Education Committee Chair for DVSAE and MASAE, serve on various Mid-Year Meeting, Conference Planning and Golf Committees as well as serving on the MASAE Board and Executive Committee. I owe Mike a BIG THANK YOU for talking to me that night many years ago. My involvement in MASAE has provided me with an experience that I could not have imagined. I have become a more accomplished professional, made some great friends, have expanded my resources and have had a great time doing it. Getting involved in MASAE is one of the best professional decisions I have ever made. Why am I starting my first article with this bit of information - because I want you to get involved in MASAE and join an MASAE Committee. Join MASAE as a volunteer and start your journey. MASAE will only improve if quality people continue to get involved. You are the reason that MASAE will be the best resource for education and networking.
MASAE is working very hard to expand the resources available to you and to make information more accessible to you. Some of the initiatives are outlined below and all of them have improving the member experience at the core of each initiative.
• MASAE is launching a new and improved website. The website will give the members increased functionality to connect through Forums and allow for more resources and information. This new website will also be a great membership recruitment tool.
• We are continuing the membership drive started in 2014. You may ask how more members will help our current members and for me the answer is simple. As we increase the membership numbers we increase our resources. More members also mean increased networking opportunities and the networking component is a critical aspect in all of our success as we progress through our careers.
• MASAE is launching a new blog that will be sent about every two weeks. The articles will be a resource for timely information and will feature various professionals on the local and national scene. This will be launched shortly after the new website.
• MASAE is working with champions in the various geographic regions we serve and discussing what they need and what type of meetings work best for them. It is these champions that will make these geographic subgroups successful. Please do not worry there will still be plenty of opportunity for all of us to get together at the Mid-Year and Annual Meetings and of course the local meetings are open to all.
The items above are some of the newer items we are working on but rest assured you can still count on MASAE for the consistent high quality educational programs that you have come to expect from us. Below is a list of the upcoming events. More events will be added so please check the MASAE website frequently for updates and information on how to register.
• April 23 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• April 30 – Executive Management Forum in Princeton, NJ
• June 3 – MASAE Mid-Year Meeting at the Inn at Penn in Philadelphia, PA
• June 25 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• August 20 – MASAE 6th Annual Golf Outing at Sea Oaks Golf Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ
• September 24 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• December 2-3 – MASAE 6th Annual Conference & Exhibition at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, NJ
If you want to champion a Breakfast Club or Lunch Bunch type of meeting in your area please contact me and MASAE will help promote the meeting. There is no formal speaker and it is a great opportunity for colleagues to get together in a less formal setting. They are a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet some new friends. I really want to make sure we are engaging the MASAE Members and other association professionals at times and locations that are easy for them to attend.
The key to the success of MASAE is communication and engagement. I hope that you will contact myself or any of the MASAE Board about what is working, what is not working, what might need a little tweak and what we are not offering that we should be offering. MASAE is here to serve the members, the profession and the industry and those of us that are fortunate enough to serve on the Board are only temporary stewards of this great organization. That is why your involvement is so necessary to ensure the current and future success of MASAE. I have listed the Committees below and all of them could use additional volunteers. The purpose of each committee and the sign-up form can be found at http://www.pmsa.us.com/NJSAE/MASAE_COMMITTEES_FORM_2013.pdf or if you have additional questions please feel free to call or email me at any time.
• Awards Committee
• CAE Committee
• Communications Committee
• Conference Committee
• Education/Program Committee
• Golf Committee
• Membership Committee
• Associate/Vendor Member Task Force
• Pace Magazine
• Scholarship Committee
To those of you already involved thank you for everything you do for MASAE and if you are not involved please consider getting involved. Joining a committee would be great but your first step could be attending an event, talking to a colleague about joining or just letting us know how we are doing.
I can be reached at 215-858-8023 or by email at [email protected] and welcome all communication.
Now that my public scolding is completed we can move on. As I stated earlier I have been very busy with client work but also with my work with the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives (MASAE). In 2014 I was President-Elect and in January 2015 I was elected President. One of my top professional accomplishments and after sitting in the seat for only four months I have a greater understanding for what every volunteer association president struggles with on a daily basis. I truly believe that an association should not hire a management company or high level staff member unless that person/company has been engaged in volunteer activities at the Board or Committee level. Participating in your community or profession at the Board or Committee level will give all the people that serve your leadership and your members a better idea of the daily struggles that a volunteer leader faces. I think this understanding is essential in managing volunteer based groups.
Involvement in one's community and profession also says something about the person. It shows they care about others and that they want to give back.
To end this post I wanted to share my President's article from the most recent MASAE publication so I have included it below. It focuses on openness and engagement and these two items are critical to the success of any organization.
Published in PACE-MASAE's Official Quarterly Publication (published April 17, 2015) - for more information on MASAE please visit www.midatlantic-sae.org
I am excited to have the opportunity to serve as the MASAE President and look forward to working with all of you in the upcoming year!
I want to start this President’s article by telling you what MASAE means to me. I have been involved with MASAE for many years and was on the Board of DVSAE and a member of NJSAE. It was many, many years ago when I got involved in DVSAE and by getting involved I mean I was at a DVSAE Social Outing and Mike Taylor talked me into Co-Chairing the Education Committee. That simple conversation started me on a journey that would allow me to serve as Education Committee Chair for DVSAE and MASAE, serve on various Mid-Year Meeting, Conference Planning and Golf Committees as well as serving on the MASAE Board and Executive Committee. I owe Mike a BIG THANK YOU for talking to me that night many years ago. My involvement in MASAE has provided me with an experience that I could not have imagined. I have become a more accomplished professional, made some great friends, have expanded my resources and have had a great time doing it. Getting involved in MASAE is one of the best professional decisions I have ever made. Why am I starting my first article with this bit of information - because I want you to get involved in MASAE and join an MASAE Committee. Join MASAE as a volunteer and start your journey. MASAE will only improve if quality people continue to get involved. You are the reason that MASAE will be the best resource for education and networking.
MASAE is working very hard to expand the resources available to you and to make information more accessible to you. Some of the initiatives are outlined below and all of them have improving the member experience at the core of each initiative.
• MASAE is launching a new and improved website. The website will give the members increased functionality to connect through Forums and allow for more resources and information. This new website will also be a great membership recruitment tool.
• We are continuing the membership drive started in 2014. You may ask how more members will help our current members and for me the answer is simple. As we increase the membership numbers we increase our resources. More members also mean increased networking opportunities and the networking component is a critical aspect in all of our success as we progress through our careers.
• MASAE is launching a new blog that will be sent about every two weeks. The articles will be a resource for timely information and will feature various professionals on the local and national scene. This will be launched shortly after the new website.
• MASAE is working with champions in the various geographic regions we serve and discussing what they need and what type of meetings work best for them. It is these champions that will make these geographic subgroups successful. Please do not worry there will still be plenty of opportunity for all of us to get together at the Mid-Year and Annual Meetings and of course the local meetings are open to all.
The items above are some of the newer items we are working on but rest assured you can still count on MASAE for the consistent high quality educational programs that you have come to expect from us. Below is a list of the upcoming events. More events will be added so please check the MASAE website frequently for updates and information on how to register.
• April 23 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• April 30 – Executive Management Forum in Princeton, NJ
• June 3 – MASAE Mid-Year Meeting at the Inn at Penn in Philadelphia, PA
• June 25 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• August 20 – MASAE 6th Annual Golf Outing at Sea Oaks Golf Club in Little Egg Harbor Township, NJ
• September 24 – Breakfast Club at Ponzio’s in Cherry Hill, NJ
• December 2-3 – MASAE 6th Annual Conference & Exhibition at Harrah’s in Atlantic City, NJ
If you want to champion a Breakfast Club or Lunch Bunch type of meeting in your area please contact me and MASAE will help promote the meeting. There is no formal speaker and it is a great opportunity for colleagues to get together in a less formal setting. They are a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet some new friends. I really want to make sure we are engaging the MASAE Members and other association professionals at times and locations that are easy for them to attend.
The key to the success of MASAE is communication and engagement. I hope that you will contact myself or any of the MASAE Board about what is working, what is not working, what might need a little tweak and what we are not offering that we should be offering. MASAE is here to serve the members, the profession and the industry and those of us that are fortunate enough to serve on the Board are only temporary stewards of this great organization. That is why your involvement is so necessary to ensure the current and future success of MASAE. I have listed the Committees below and all of them could use additional volunteers. The purpose of each committee and the sign-up form can be found at http://www.pmsa.us.com/NJSAE/MASAE_COMMITTEES_FORM_2013.pdf or if you have additional questions please feel free to call or email me at any time.
• Awards Committee
• CAE Committee
• Communications Committee
• Conference Committee
• Education/Program Committee
• Golf Committee
• Membership Committee
• Associate/Vendor Member Task Force
• Pace Magazine
• Scholarship Committee
To those of you already involved thank you for everything you do for MASAE and if you are not involved please consider getting involved. Joining a committee would be great but your first step could be attending an event, talking to a colleague about joining or just letting us know how we are doing.
I can be reached at 215-858-8023 or by email at [email protected] and welcome all communication.
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