Letter sent 12/5/2022 to the Honorable Todd Gilbert, Speaker, Virginia House of Delegates:

On behalf of the members of the Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE), I’m writing to highlight the wide-ranging benefits that trade and professional associations provide to the Commonwealth of Virginia and its citizens. VSAE’s 400-plus members consist of association executives and those who serve Virginia’s association industry with products and services.

VSAE announced the recipients of its 2022 Awards of Excellence on December 2 at the Hilton Richmond Hotel and Spa Short Pump. 

• Ray Mattes, CAE, President & Chief Executive Officer, Retail Alliance, recipient of the CEO Award of Excellence, given to an outstanding chief staff executive in recognition of their leadership and achievement.
• Phyllis Errico, JD, CAE, General Counsel, Virginia Association of Counties, recipient of the Association Staff Award of Excellence, which recognizes an outstanding association staff professional for their contributions to their association.
• Jamie Mitchell, CMP, Convention Sales Manager, Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, recipient of the Associate Member Award of Excellence, presented to VSAE member suppliers or vendors who have distinguished themselves through their leadership qualities and professionalism.
• Bob Holsworth, Managing Partner, DecideSmart, recipient of the Career Service Award of Excellence which recognizes an individual outside the field of association management who has provided exceptional service over the years to the association community.

For more information about the VSAE Awards of Excellence, please visit www.vsae.org/awards-of-excellence

VSAE announces its newly-elected 2022-2023 Board of Directors, whose term began May 1, 2022. The installation ceremony took place at VSAE’s Annual Conference, May 1-2 at Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia.

Officers

There’s a familiar line in the business world that says culture is “the way we do things around here.” Reading a couple of recent studies around leadership in the pandemic era, I think that line ought to be more specific: Culture is be the way we communicate how we do things around here.

 

When you are growing a business, it is inevitable that you will face the need to hire people to help you handle the increased demands of your day-to-day operations. The availability of information has made it possible for people to hone their skills and grow their knowledge base. For a business owner, this means that you have a large pool of talent from which to find the best people to add to your team. It means that you’re more than likely to find someone you can rely on and build a relationship that can be long-term and fulfilling.

What have you done for YOU lately? Consider taking the next step in your career by obtaining the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. We asked four VSAE members who recently earned the CAE credential about preparing for the exam and how investing in this professional designation has advanced their careers. The members are Kelly Ann Gull, CAE, Senior Manager, Governance & Executive Office for the National Society of Professional Engineeers;  Sarah Mattes Marshall, CAE, Executive Director for the VA College of Emergency Physicians; Michelle Runge, CAE, Director of Chapter Relations–Mid-Atlantic Region for the American Inns of Court; and Steven Williams, CAE, Partner with Hardiman-Williams, LLC.

Meet Laiya Rollins, a VSAE member, young professional, and Membership & Workforce Development Coordinator for LeadingAge Virginia.

 

The Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) Board of Directors has adopted a DEI Vision & Values Statement, following recommendations from its DEI ask Force. 

VSAE’s DEI vision is to “build and sustain a diverse, equitable and inclusive Association that sets the example for affirmation, access, recognition, and respect of various groups, identities, and cultures to positively impact Virginia’s association community.”

In addition, the Board adopted six DEI values:

• Continually create opportunities for VSAE members to develop critical skills to lead and manage through the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Create and maintain an environment that allows everyone to express their social identity and culture to foster a sense of belonging.
• Model respect, professionalism, and ethical behavior among VSAE members.
• Seek out and encourage diverse ideas and perspectives at all levels of VSAE leadership and members.
• Stand against all forms of discrimination, oppression, bias, and exclusion, as well as structural, institutional, and systemic inequities.
• Use a data-driven approach to track, measure, and understand the current state of diversity, equity, and inclusion within Virginia’s association community.

 

Meet Tigre Hammond, a VSAE member, young professional, and Member Relations Specialist for the Virginia Asphalt Association.

 

 

We’ve been hearing for some time that the pace of change is accelerating, and never has that seemed truer than these past 18 months. At times, the pace and the scale of change can make us feel like things are spiraling out of control.

DEI Task Force Members:
Mariama Boney (MB)
Kelly Ann Gull (KG)
Tom Hardiman (TH)
Bob Hudson (BH)
Bailey Kasten (BK)
Nicole McAllister (NM)
Sonnia Montemayor (SM)
Susan Park (SP)

Abby Tammen, Chair (AT)

VSAE President Maureen Dingus announced the following VSAE members have agreed to serve on the association’s newly established Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force:

• Abby Tammen, CEO, Charlottesville Association of Realtors (Chair)

To say that today’s buyer has changed would be a bit of a massive understatement. In fact, we’ve never seen such change in such a short period of time. When you consider how we’ve evolved since the advent of the internet (it became mainstream in 1996) and then throw on top of that all the digital behaviors that were catapulted by the recent pandemic, the results are stunning.

To name a couple:

• Today’s buyer, on average, is more than 70% through the buying cycle BEFORE they actually speak to a sales person. (Forrester)

I am honored to serve as VSAE President, especially during this time of great change and opportunity. When I first became a member, I was a young female, non-CEO who did not play golf. At times, I felt unable to take advantage of all that VSAE had to offer because I did not always feel like I belonged. Thanks to the tenacity of past VSAE leaders and staff, this is no longer true.

While I am not “young” anymore, I am still a female, non-CEO who does not play golf. Now I have many female past president role models, I can lead the Board as a non-CEO, and I can enjoy a variety of amazing networking activities on or off the golf course. VSAE leadership made intentional changes to the bylaws, programming, and organizational norms to move us forward.

Now, we need to continue moving forward. This year your Board will examine how we advance our efforts to bring about greater diversity and inclusion. We will work to define what this means to VSAE, what actions we can take, and how we can support you as you grapple with this at your organization, whether related to your staff, your governing leadership, or your membership at large.

What can you do now?

Keep learning from your peers. VSAE has already provided some great sessions on diversity and inclusion and another one is on tap at Annual Conference. If you are a member of a Shared Interest Group (SIG), suggest this as a topic. Talking through your experiences and listening deeply are also powerful ways to learn and grow.

Look around the table. When you attend a VSAE event or meeting (virtual or in person), look around at who is there, and more importantly, who is not there. What can you do to make someone else feel that they belong? Consider how you can bring more people to the table, especially people who may not think they belong.

Share your perspective and hold us accountable. The Board needs to hear from the members. We will be engaging in important conversations and soliciting feedback from you. This is not a “check the box” exercise that will be accomplished by the end of the year. It will require sustained commitment from future leadership and the membership as a whole.

VSAE’s mission is to be the best of the best, so you should expect great things. Right now, we all need to listen and to lead. I hope you’ll take this journey with us.

What drew you to the association industry?

A $5 per hour paid internship at the VSCPA!

We asked three new association CEOs the following questions to learn about their career paths and insights on issues facing the industry. The three interviewed were Christina Lewellen, MBA, CAE (CL), Executive Director, Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools; Sarah Mattes Marshall, CAE (SM), Executive Director, VA College of Emergency Physicians; and Abby Tammen (AT), CEO, Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS.

The Virginia Society of Association Executives (VSAE) is proud to announce its newly-elected 2021-2022 Board of Directors, whose term begins May 1, 2021. The installation ceremony will take place at VSAE’s Annual Conference, June 27-29 at the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront.

Officers
• President – Maureen Dingus, CAE, Chief Operating Officer of Virginia Society of CPAs
• Immediate Past President – Phyllis Errico, JD, CAE, General Counsel for Virginia Association of Counties
• President Elect – Steven Williams, CAE, Partner at Hardiman-Williams, LLC
• Treasurer – Stewart Hinckley, President & CEO of Ruggles Service Corporation
• Secretary – Shannon McCabe, CAE, Executive Director of Association of Consulting Foresters

Directors beginning their first term
• Kyle Shreve, Executive Director, VA Agribusiness Council
• Abby Tammen, Chief Executive Officer, Charlottesville Area Association of REALTORS
• Bruce Whitehurst, President & CEO, VA Bankers Association

Directors continuing to serve for VSAE
• Corey Clayborne, AIA, MBA, Executive Vice President of American Institute of Architects, Virginia
• Sarah Gouger, Program Coordinator, Virginia Tech Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens
• Amy Hewett, CAE, VP of Strategy & Communications, Virginia Health Care Association
• Christina Lewellen, MBA, CAE, Executive Director, Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools
• Carter Lyons, CAE, Director of Communications, Associated General Contractors of Virginia
• Lisa Noon, CAE, RCE, Vice President of Organization Management Group
• Associate Member – James Gelfand, Vice President of Sales and Revenue, Kingsmill Resort

VSAE is partnering with SAEs across the country on a compensation benchmarking platform designed exclusively for executives of professional, trade, and service-centric associations/nonprofits. Our goal is to provide valuable data to help you in maximizing your budget when making hiring and personnel decisions while keeping your organization competitive. The platform’s value increases as more organizations participate (i.e. more data = better results!). 

In addition to compensation and salary information, this platform also gathers data on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives, such as gender and racial identity of employees; hiring practices; DE&I policies; and more. All organizations inputting data by March 31 will receive a DE&I Industry Snapshot Report at no cost.  

While an annual subscription is required to generate benchmarking reports, data entry is free and all information will remain anonymous. 

 

On January 7, my social media channels were filled with a meme that read “I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021. I’ve experienced the 7-day trial and I’m not interested.” The world had hoped the hypothetical turning of the calendar would bring an end to the dramatic changes we were experiencing due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political issues. Almost two months into the new year, we can say for certain change is inevitable and that creativity and flexibility continue to be the necessary tools of the trade. 

Vaccines approved for emergency use by the FDA are now providing a welcome doorway out of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, they are unlocking a range of legal issues for associations concerning vaccine mandates. May an association require employees to be vaccinated before they return to the office? And, more broadly, may it require vaccination for attendees at its meetings and conferences?

Here are some of the key issues that any association should consider before implementing a vaccine policy.