2022 Annual Meeting Meeting

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

CEO Dinner Discussion for Senior Association Executives (OPTIONAL ADD-ON)

Senior level Association executives are encouraged to join us for an engaging evening with colleagues. In this intimate environment, executives will discuss the concerns that are “keeping them up at night” while enjoying unforgettable cocktails and dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak located in Harrah’s. Join us as Felicia Taylor, MBA, CAE, Chief Executive Officer for the New Jersey American Academy of Pediatrics, moderates an insightful and interactive discussion that will provide new perspectives to consider for your own organizations.

Note: This session is for professional members only (not associate members). Ad additional fee of $150 will apply for this optional session. The dinner is limited to the first 25 people who register. 

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
"New to MASAE" Meet & Greet

This session is designed for new members, first-time attendees and anyone else who wants to learn more about the benefits of MASAE membership.  Whether you’re a first-time attendee, returning attendee, or just want to meet new members, it's a great introduction to the Annual Meeting and an opportunity to ask those burning questions you have about our exciting group!  Come join the fun and share your own experiences.

10:00 a.m.
Exhibit Hall Opens

10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks

10:45 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Opening Keynote

“Building a Better Future Through Stewardship”

When you look closely at the impact of uncertainty, volatility, and risk on our world today, a difficult truth becomes clear: our all-in commitment to leadership is doing more harm than good. Over three painful years, we have seen the damage inflicted by the self-interested, short-term, and zero-sum thinking of so-called leaders. Now, with 2023 on the immediate horizon, we need to think differently if we are going to build a better future for ourselves, our organizations, and our successors. This provocative keynote session will challenge you to embrace the necessity of stewardship and help you begin building the skills and mindsets you will need to think and act as a steward in The Turbulent Twenties and beyond.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain why our society's all-in commitment to leadership is doing more harm than good.
• Describe the differences between stewardship and leadership, and why stewardship is the higher calling.
• Apply new stewardship capabilities to their personal and professional lives.

Jeff De Cagna, FRSA, FASAE
Executive Advisor
Foresight First LLC

Jeff De Cagna, FRSA, FASAE, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC in Reston, Virginia, is an association contrarian, foresight practitioner, governing designer, stakeholder/ successor advocate, and stewardship catalyst. He is the 32nd recipient of ASAE’s Academy of Leaders Award, the association’s highest individual honor given to consultants or industry partners in recognition of their support of ASAE and the association community.

11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.         
MASAE Business Meeting & Presentation of Awards

MASAE will recognize the many outstanding accomplishments of our members this coming December at the Annual Meeting December 1-2 at Harrah's in Atlantic City. We will highlight their work on behalf of their associations and organizations. MASAE is home to many association executives--professional who give tirelessly both to the advancement of our profession and to lead organizations to advance in their various fields and industries.

We invite all MASAE members to please take some time to nominate a colleague, industry friend--someone whose skills and talents you think deserve recognition this year for their talent. Tell us your story. Tell us their story. Share with our community all that's been going on over the past year.

Click here to submit a nomination

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Lunch & Exhibits

"Becoming Media-Savvy at a Moment's Notice"
Speaker: Lindsay Groff, MBA, Executive Director, Human Milk Banking Association of North America

Are you prepared and polished to speak with the media in the midst of a national crisis? For Lindsay Groff, Executive Director of Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), the recent infant formula shortage proved to be a fully immersive media experience -- and she jumped in head-first. While HMBANA has safely provided donor milk to vulnerable infants since 1985, the organization garnered modest awareness outside of the healthcare community. That is, until dozens of media outlets started contacting Lindsay overnight, seeking an expert to shine light on the situation and share opportunities for people to help desperate families. Learn from your peer as she shares her experience conducting over 30 national media interviews over a three-week period, and how she provided media training to members so that they could serve as experts in their own communities.

You will learn how to:

• Position yourself as the expert
• Stay on message and frame the story
• Build relationships with the media
• Teach others to be media-savvy (you can't do ALL the work)!

Lindsay Groff's dedication to helping medically fragile children is inspired by her own experience as a mother and milk donor during her daughter, Charlotte’s extended stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Lindsay held to her personal goal of providing breastmilk for one year, both supporting Charlotte with her milk through a nasogastric tube (NG tube) and by donating excess to other vulnerable infants. Today, Lindsay is impassioned by her role at HMBANA and, with her thriving daughter, shares a deep belief in serving under-resourced communities through her work with local nonprofits. Lindsay has an MBA from Rowan University and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Rutgers University.

"Solutions for Executives" Group Discussion 
Conversation Catalyst: Trudie Bruner, CAE

MASAE introduced our Virtual Executive Peer Group for Association Professionals in the summer of 2022 and we are running a second cohort this fall. This popular interactive, virtual program is capping off the fall session with an in-person meeting! This session is open to all attendees from the 2022 virtual sessions and Annual Conference attendees. The discussion will be participant-driven and focus on high-level solutions for senior association executives.

2:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #2

"Participatory Management: What worker cooperatives can teach us about retaining, engaging, and investing in staff"
Speaker: Nick Marzano, M.Ed., CAE, Chief of Strategy, Society of Hospital Medicine

Netflix is losing the picture. Google is searching for revenue. Meta is virtually imploding. Big tech has always been a bit problematic as an aspirational model for nonprofits, what with its focus on shareholders and frequent exploitation of users, data, and wage workers. What would it look like if associations turned to a different business model for inspiration, a model that balances innovation and growth with equally important goals such as a fair and just workplace, a fulfilled staff, and sustainability?

Enter the worker-owned cooperative. Worker cooperatives have put in the real work for decades, developing the kind of concrete practices that are needed when employees at all levels have a stake in success. Often referred to as participatory management, these collected practices offer a rich playbook for associations and non-profits interested in becoming more equitable and inclusive, retaining the next generation of workers, and unlocking the full potential of teams.

This session will provide a broad overview of the four cornerstones of participatory management:

1. Power: decision-making, roles and responsibility
2. 2. Information: Access to financials, financial literacy, and business literacy
3. People: Investing in staff with training and professional development
4. Money: Lessons on equity and limitations of the comparison for nonprofits

Nick Marzano, M.Ed., CAE serves as Chief of Strategy for the Society of Hospital Medicine, a medical professional society supporting a diverse community of practitioners who are passionate about improving care for the hospitalized patient. In this role, he is dedicated to ensuring SHM is a fulfilling workplace and learning organization. Nick has over fifteen years of experience in adult continuing education and nonprofit leadership. Nick currently sits on the ASAE Executive Management Council, has served on various nonprofit boards, and was named to the inaugural class of Connectors and Keepers by Leadership Philadelphia. He holds a Masters in Education from Penn State University. In 2019, he earned a Participatory Management Certificate through a joint program of Rutgers University and the Democracy at Work Institute. An avid ultra-endurance cyclist, Nick recently completed the 2022 Tour Divide, a 2,665-mile self-supported mountain bike race from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border.

"DEI Considerations for Meeting Planning"
Speakers: Beth Mauro, Senior Director of Client Services, Association Headquarters and Amy Williams, Senior Director, Consulting & Special Projects, Association Headquarters

For most associations, annual conferences and trade shows provide an important opportunity to bring all members of the industry under one big tent. But does everyone feel equally welcomed? In this session, we will identify opportunities to increase inclusion beyond race and gender. No matter where your organization is in the DEI journey you will learn how intentional efforts, large or small will be meaningful to your members and set the tone for a higher engagement at your annual meeting.

Learning Objectives:

• Discover the wide range of diversity considerations such as gender, race, age, wellness, learning, physical and cognitive abilities.
• Learn how DEI efforts are implemented over the lifespan of the planning process.
• Take away ideas that can be implemented immediately and planned over time.
• Understand why this isn't a check-the-box activity but rather a cultural shift.

Beth Mauro joined AH in 2015, bringing 25+ years of association, meetings, publication and marketing management skills to the table. As Senior Director of Client Services, Beth is dedicated to creating high functioning teams that deliver superior service to client partners. Among her duties are segment leadership for the Corporate and Entrepreneurial verticals and liaison to AH’s team of 30+ meeting professionals. She also manages the annual AH Leadership Forum and is co-chair of the AH Foresight Committee.

Throughout her career, Beth has specialized in launching and reinventing meetings. At AH, she worked with the Commission for Case Manager Certification to launch the CCMC New World Symposium and led the relaunch of the JPMA Show, a hybrid event for suppliers and expectant parents presented by the Juvenile Product Manufacturers Association.

Amy Williams, CAE, MPA, IOM is Association Headquarter's (AH) Vice President of Sales and Consulting. Amy is a seasoned association management professional with over 25 years of association experience. She is a past president of the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives and received their Distinguished Service Award in 2018. Amy currently serves on the ASAE Research Foundation Research Committee. In 2021, Amy earned a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida, Muma College of Business.

Amy started at AH 17 years ago as an Account Executive and has led the new business and consulting efforts since 2017. In her current role, Amy and her team are responsible for bringing in new full service, hybrid and project business. Amy also leads AH’s consulting efforts, which include strategic planning, operational assessments, association start-ups, nonprofit mergers, chapter and leadership development.

3:15 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Breakout Session #3

"Unusual Collaborations: Follow the Yellow Brick Road"

Unusual partnerships and collaborations can be found in music, art, movies, business, athletics, and in other disciplines and industries. Where are associations with partnerships and collaborations? What are the lessons these approaches hold for associations? Learn about the basic principles for these engagements, what makes some successful, and what to avoid. When and where should your association be taking chances, when is crazy borderline genius, and when is crazy just plain crazy? The time to get out of a rut, start placing small bets, and building on what works is now.

Jay Daughtry started CQbd in 2017. Over the past 20+ years Jay has built a strong reputation through roles with responsibilities for account management, business development, marketing, communications, and partnerships with companies like Dell, ISG Solutions, Personify, Results Direct, and Wells Fargo.

Jay brings this wealth of experience, along with curiosity and enthusiasm, to each client engagement. Jay relishes opportunities to learn and engage in different ways with a variety of clients.

Having worked with associations, consultants, and technology companies, Jay has developed what may be one of the more unique vantage points in the association space and one that gives each client a well-rounded perspective.

"Solutions for Membership" Group Discussion 
Conversation Catalyst: Kimberly Russell, CAE

Traditionally, a membership relationship has been a central focus of associations. Is membership the only type of relationship an association should define? How else can we expand our associations reach to generate revenue, new opportunities, and/or partnerships? Bring your stories, good and not-so good, the issues that are stumping you, and a pen to take notes as we tackle the membership challenge.

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closing Keynote

“Opportunities and Challenges for
Associations and Leaders Today”

In a time of ever- increasing pace of change and uncertainty, what does that mean for association leaders? Where do we look for the opportunities and what/how should we think about the challenges? Learn what concrete steps can we take related to both.

Gregg H. Talley, FASAE, CAE
President & CEO
Talley Management Group, Inc.

Gregg H. Talley, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO, brings a broad range of experience from more than 40 years within the Association/Event Management Industry. With a degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in international relations, Gregg utilizes those skills to manage and consult with national and international organizations and boards. Gregg has personally managed hundreds of events globally for associations, societies, corporations and fraternal organizations including one of the largest convention events in North America, the 50,000+ attendee International Convention of a well- known Recovery Organization.

A recognized professional in the field, Gregg consults, speaks and writes regularly on issues within association, event management and business event strategy for organizations and destinations. Gregg holds both the Certified Association Executive (CAE) and the Fellow of the American Society for Association Executives (FASAE) designations. He is a past Board Member of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) and past National Chair and Foundation Chair of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
General Session

“Beyond Words: Changing Behavior and Holistically Implementing DEI”

After the events of the last two years, many of our boards are finally cultivating more understanding, vision, and capacity to holistically improve what we do best as associations – creating belonging, but now more inclusively and equitably with outcomes of diversity. This journey requires undoing the unconscious and default approaches currently used. When the association is supported as a living body becoming more self-aware, knowledgeable, discerning, and generative towards its new goals, transformation has a long-term and rewarding impact, even in the face of inevitable challenges. This session will explore process and outcomes from a small staff association’s DEI journey in the first two years and attendees will hear board decisions, public commitment, member push back, and lessons learned when holistically implementing DEI across an association.

Sharon Newport, CAE, is an organizational consultant, facilitator, and executive coach with clients in the nonprofit and for-profit sectors across the globe. Sharon supports her clients' goals of transformational change using expertise in organizational development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, neuroscience, and body intelligence to deliver leading-edge thought leadership for her clients, to meet them where they are and support their goals to evolve. Sharon also serves as adjunct faculty at Georgetown University's Institute of Transformational Leadership.

Sharon has earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation from ASAE, a certification in the Key Polarity Indicator™ (KPI), a credential in the Foundations of Somatic Abolitionism, a certificate in the Neuroscience of Change, an Executive Certificate from Georgetown University in Organizational Consulting and Change Leadership, and her B.F.A. from the State University of New York, Purchase College, graduating Magna Cum Laude. Sharon was awarded a Leader of Distinction by digitalNow and is a proud ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program alumnus.

Jessica S. Struve, CAE is the Deputy Executive Director of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA). Throughout her 18-year career in association management, Jessica has served in multiple roles, carving a path from Membership Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Dental Association to her current position with RBMA. A graduate of Elizabethtown College, Jessica is also a member of the ASAE Leadership Academy Class of 2011 and past ASAE Young Association Executives Committee volunteer. She obtained her Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in June 2014. Jessica is a 2015 alumna of the ASAE NextGen Thought Leader program and in 2017 was recognized as one of Association Forum's 40 Under Forty. In 2021 she was instrumental in RBMA’s Gold Circle Award win for Excellence in Advocacy. Outside of the office, Jessica enjoys volunteering, reading, exploring nature and spending time with friends and family.

"Building a Fit-for-Purpose Association Board in The Turbulent Twenties" 
Speaker: Jeff De Cagna, FRSA, FASAE, Executive Advisor, Foresight First LLC

The radical uncertainty, volatility, and risk that associations have experienced in this decade’s first three years make clear that boards must elevate their performance. Simply optimizing the ability of boards to handle their traditional activities is insufficient, however. To give themselves, their stakeholders, and successors a real chance to thrive in The Turbulent Twenties and beyond, associations must build fit-for-purpose boards capable of setting a higher standard of stewardship, governing, and foresight [SGF]. This interactive masterclass will challenge the association community’s powerful orthodox beliefs about boards, the work they do, and how they perform. Participants will gain both fresh insights into what is required from boards and next practices to implement to help their boards navigate an irrevocably-altered world with greater capability and confidence.

Learning Objectives:

• Challenge association community orthodoxy about boards and take meaningful action to strengthen board performance.
• Pursue deeper collaboration in support of their boards’ efforts to become fit-for-purpose in The Turbulent Twenties and beyond.
• Redesign board work and elevate board performance through the application of stewardship, governing, and foresight [SGF] next practices.

Jeff De Cagna, FRSA, FASAE, executive advisor for Foresight First LLC in Reston, Virginia, is an association contrarian, foresight practitioner, governing designer, stakeholder/successor advocate, and stewardship catalyst. He is the 32nd recipient of ASAE’s Academy of Leaders Award, the association’s highest individual honor given to consultants or industry partners in recognition of their support of ASAE and the association community.

"Solutions for the Hospitality Industry" Group Discussion 
Conversation Catalysts: Jim Marota and Joan Mooney

It’s no secret that the hospitality industry has changed because of the effects of the pandemic. Whether it’s service and staffing level changes or the challenge of reinventing your meetings for new health protocols, two of MASAE’s supplier members will facilitate a discussion on the landscape of meetings as we enter 2023. Join us to find out how to best work with venues, CVBs, and other hospitality providers.

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Closing Keynote

“What Associations Can Learn from the Savannah Bananas”

The Savannah Bananas are changing the rules of baseball- literally. They're doing it in a way that is both entertaining and is speeding up the game. By challenging conventional thinking and thinking creatively, others are taking notice- including Major League Baseball. What does this have to do with associations? The simple answer is everything. Jay Daughtry will give a highly interactive and fun closing keynote regarding these lessons for associations. Jay will also draw on examples and illustrations from other companies and brands so even non-baseball fan attendees will be able to glean much from this session and apply these concepts to better engage their memberships, enhance their events, and grow their product offerings. So... Change the rules. Make it fun. Stand out.

Jay S. Daughtry, M.Ed., CSM
Chief Communications Officer/Owner
CQbd

Jay Daughtry started CQbd in 2017. Over the past 20+ years Jay has built a strong reputation through roles with responsibilities for account management, business development, marketing, communications, and partnerships with companies like Dell, ISG Solutions, Personify, Results Direct, and Wells Fargo.

Jay brings this wealth of experience, along with curiosity and enthusiasm, to each client engagement. Jay relishes opportunities to learn and engage in different ways with a variety of clients.

Having worked with associations, consultants, and technology companies, Jay has developed what may be one of the more unique vantage points in the association space and one that gives each client a well-rounded perspective.