If your work for a national or international association, its natural to question the value of belonging to a state association. Here are the questions we commonly hear (and answers to them):
If your work for a national or international association, its natural to question the value of belonging to a state association. Here are the questions we commonly hear (and answers to them):
You know you’re getting old when…I’m betting that each of you reading this - regardless of your age – has an answer. When we think of age, we’re reminded of the physical aspects and the words of Mick Jagger, “what a drag it is getting old”. But it’s important to understand there are considerations beyond physical aging. These include how we feel about ourselves, our connectedness with society, and how we are treated by society.
Age in the workplace was the kickoff topic in February as part of the Workplace Inclusion Network series — a new partnership between VSAE and the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC). Dr. Jenny Inker, Assistant Professor & Co-Director, Assisted Living Administration Specialty Area, VCU, noted how ageism is all around us, from advertisements to comments to perceptions of ourselves and others. As workplaces include employees from multiple generations, she emphasized the importance for organizations and their leaders to understand and address ageism, and to include age as a part of their inclusion strategy.
One interesting part of the conversation dealt with generational stereotypes. Participants were asked to identify traits they associated with different generations. Rather than devolving into a new round of “ok boomer” vs. “snowflake” sparring, what came out of the conversation was hopefully a better appreciation that generational differences need not by themselves be generational barriers, and that each generation has something to contribute and learn from one another.
As importantly, we need to change the way we think about ageism. It is not something limited to older workers. According to a November 2020 article from Harvard Business Review, “Am I Old Enough to Be Taken Seriously? “young adults are more likely to report experiencing ageism at work than their middle-aged and older counterparts. Among the author’s recommendations is to start or join a working group for young professionals.
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.
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)
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.