TRENDS 2011 Young & Aspiring Association Professionals
In a crowded event, they are the ones who are surrounded by peers and older executives. You see them volunteering their time at their own professional affiliation’s events, equally happy to do the grunt work as they are to have the limelight shining on them. They are the TRENDS 2011 Young & Aspiring Association Professionals!
The TRENDS Young & Aspiring Association Professionals will be honored at the TRENDS 2012 Salute to Association Excellence, Feb. 10 at the Capital Hilton in Washington. Also to be honored at the TRENDS Salute will be the Association Executive of the Year, the Association Vendor of the Year and the winners of the TRENDS All Media Contest. For more information about the TRENDS Salute, go to www.associationtrends.com/salute.
Gabriel Eckert, CAE, Executive Director, Building, Owners and Managers of Atlanta
Previous professional positions: Senior consultant, Ideas for Action; communications and marketing director, Building Owners and Managers of Atlanta; communications director, Georgia Cattlemen’s Association.
Professional affiliations: American Society of Association Executives – member; selected as a speaker for the 2011 Great Ideas Conference. Georgia Society of Association Executives – member; instructor, GSAE Leadership Academy; member, branding task force; 2007-09 board member; recipient, Committee Chair of the Year, 2007; vice chairman, GSAE Foundation. Green Chamber of the South – current chairman.
Accomplishments: As BOMA executive director since 2007, Gabriel has increased membership 21%, increased event attendance 33%, increased revenue 21%, and grown educational enrollment 213%. Helped to create a new Human Resource Management Certificate Program, an annual Green Real Estate Summit, and developed metro-Atlanta’s first comprehensive training program for entry-level commercial real estate building engineers.
Education, certifications: MBA, Kennesaw State, with honors; selected as the University Scholar, which is recognition as the top student in the Executive MBA class of 2011. BS, Kansas State. Earned CAE in 2008.
Cool non-work accomplishment: Founding board member of the Green Chamber of the South, a nonprofit organization that facilitates the growth of sustainable businesses in the Southeast by providing opportunities for networking, education, business development and collaboration.
Mentors: I have two professional mentors: Jim Moody, CAE, president of the Construction Suppliers Association; and Jean Frankel, founder and president of Ideas for Action. They have both greatly influenced my understanding of nonprofit governance, leadership and management. I am also continually inspired by the dedication and vision of our member leaders at the Building Owners and Managers of Atlanta.
Jean S. Frankel, president, Ideas for Action: I have been an association consultant for many years, but rarely have I come across an individual with Gabriel’s talent. He is also committed to helping his fellow association professionals who aspire to leadership positions, through his work with the ASAE Leadership Academy Class of 2012, where he is designing and leading a program called “Creating the Future You Want to Live In.” Gabriel is a role model for his generation.
MaryBeth Kurland, CAE, Account Executive, Association Headquarters, Mount Laurel NJ
Professional positions: Currently COO, Commission for Case Manager Certification. Previously: Executive Director – Association of Medical Media, Office Business Center Association International, League of Professional System Administrators; chapter services manager, RIMS-Risk & Insurance Management Society, New York; regional executive, RMA-Risk Management Association, Philadelphia.
Professional affiliations: American Society of Association Executives – member. Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives – 2010 vice chairman, Membership Committee; 2011 chairman, Membership Committee
Accomplishments: Successfully managed the development and launch of CCMC’s Case Management Body of Knowledge in June 2011. Developed highly regarded strategic and business plans for several associations. Developed and managed RIMS PERK (Professional Exchange of Risk Knowledge) Program. Produced and moderated RIMS annual Building a Successful Chapter Workshop. Received RIMS quarterly UNI Award for outstanding achievement. Led RMA’s Leadership Conference Steering Committee through development and execution of the 2001 Leadership Conference.
Education/certifications: Earned CAE in 2008. BA in history, secondary education, Bachelor of Arts, U. of Delaware, Newark
Cool non-work accomplishment: Participates in annual family-run “Shop for the Families” event, which anonymously raises money and devotes time to providing a positive holiday experience for 3-5 underprivileged families (each year) through holiday meals and gifts.
Mentors: Beth McGettigan-Goldstein, RMA, and Mike Dwyer, Association Headquarters: Both Mike and Beth have helped guide me through key turning points in my career, and their insight and advice has been invaluable as I have navigated through the changing environment of association management. Also CCME CEO Patrice Sminkey; her guidance and willingness to educate me and the entire CCMC staff has helped to develop my appreciation and understanding of the case management profession.
From her nomination: MaryBeth is able to use her humor, patience, experience, and intelligence to find solutions to the biggest challenges. MaryBeth demonstrates the essential elements of a strategic, nimble and thoughtful leader that are needed in today’s work environment. She has the key ability to synthesize information and produce a recommendation or assessment that is logical and well-informed.
Artesha Moore, Membership and Technology Services Sr. Director, APIC-Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Washington
Previous professional positions: Promoted to current position in 2008, originally hired as membership and chapter relations director membership recruitment sr. manager, National Society of Professional Engineers, 2002-05; membership director, Association for Psychological Science, 1999-2002, hired as membership manager in 2001.
Professional affiliations: American Society of Association Executives – member. Diversity Executive Leadership Program, 2010; attended ASAE’s Future Leaders Conference in 2007; Membership Section Council, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Accomplishments: Increased APIC membership by over 41% in the past five years, which resulted in increased annual revenue of over $1.5M (went from 10,000 member to 14,200; revenue from $979,000 to $2.5 million). Revamped components program at NSPE and APIC. Self-taught database programmer since the late 90s; increased knowledge in data relations and database management that lead the association saving more than $200,000 in programming and consulting fees. In 2008, promoted to sr. director managing both technology and member services. As IT lead, built the internal staff structure and oversaw three major IT-related projects that led to improved productivity and an internal savings of over $250,000.
Education, certifications: Pursuing BS in business management, U. of District of Columbia. Inducted into Delta Mu Delta (Honor Society in Business Administration).
Cool non-work accomplishment: Completed a day-long zip line tour in Mexico and finished by pulling myself in on a rope while hanging upside down several hundred feet in the air, even though I am deathly afraid of heights.
Mentors: Shawn Boynes, CAE, APIC; Carol Clark, MS, CPA, Association of Public Health Laboratories.
Robert T. Van Hook, FASAE, CAE, Transition Management Consulting: Artesha shows an unusual mix of inspiring enthusiasm and planning and attention to detail. It is hard to manage two distinct services, but she leads both the association's membership and IT teams. Artesha leads with passion and humor, but she knows how to get people to focus and keep moving, too. She has great ideas and a powerful way of presenting them to convince others to follow her lead. She is a young association leader that is on her way to even greater success.
Michael Skiados, CAE, Director, ASAE Greater Washington
Previous professional positions: At ASAE – director, Communities & Networks; sr. manager, Greater Washington Network; manager, Greater Washington Network; office manager.
Professional affiliations: Potomac Meeting Professionals International – 2000 Committee Chairman of the Year.
Accomplishments: Established a large staff association program to assist ASAE member CEOs in navigating ASAE offerings and to identify the needs of large-staff associations in order to provide programs, products, and services to meet those unique needs. Collaborated with members to rebrand ASAE’s local community into ASAE Greater Washington to streamline greater Washington volunteer groups into a single committee tasked with creating programs and improving visibility for the local association community. Worked with the ASAE Fellows, assisted in revamping the selection process to be more streamlined, proactive and inclusive, enhanced the Fellows Retreat, and introduced the FASAE post-nominal. Worked with the ASAE CEO Advisory Board to better meet the needs of association executive directors. Partnered with volunteer leaders to grow the CAE Action Team, a Washington-based volunteer group in 2005, to a national volunteer group in 2010. 2006 ASAE Shining Star Award recipient.
Education, certifications: BA, James Madison U. Earned CAE in 2009.
Cool non-work accomplishment: President of Pi Kappa Alpha Alumni Association for Iota Sigma Chapter, James Madison U., 2009-present.
Mentor: I’m lucky to have a few excellent mentors, but my main man is my dad, Don Skiados, president, Leadership Communications & Training, and former executive director of Air Line Pilots Association.
ASAE CEO John Graham IV, CAE: Mike Skiados is a tremendous asset to ASAE and has enthusiastically embraced a larger role within the organization, particularly as it relates to growing our Greater Washington presence and our standing with large-staff organizations. These are two key initiatives for ASAE and we feel good about having Mike at the point of these efforts. In addition, he has done significant work with the ASAE Fellows and the CEO Advisory Board. Mike’s a very hard-working, engaging guy and he’s a great ambassador for ASAE when he goes out and meets with our members and prospective members.
Heather R. Swink, MA, CAE, Executive Editor, FORUM magazine, Association Forum of Chicagoland
Previous professional positions: Previously was FORUM managing editor and associate editor; marketing manager, International Association for Lighting Designers; communications manager, Property Casualty Insurers Association of America.
Professional affiliations: Association Media & Publishing – 2011 board (serving a two-year term); 2011-12 Chicago Programming Committee chairman; 2011 EXCEL Awards virtual judge. ASAE – member. Chicago Women in Publishing – member.
Education, certifications: MA in public affairs reporting, U. of Illinois; bachelor’s degree in journalism, Bradley U. Earned CAE in 2008.
Cool non-work accomplishment: Ran nearly 20 marathons, with a personal record last year of 2:58 at the 10-10-10 Chicago Marathon – the second hottest Chicago Marathon on record.
Past Young & Aspiring Association Professional Greg Fine, CAE: Heather is committed to a career in association management and this dedication is demonstrated, in part by the fact she has earned the CAE designation. Heather has helped promote the profession of association management through her work as the Editor of Forum magazine. In addition, she has shown her leadership capabilities by serving on the Association Media and Publishing Board of Directors. As a past recipient of this honor, I have no doubt that Heather, from both a professional and personal standpoint, is an individual that should be highlighted and that she will be an outstanding role mode and shining example for our profession.
Nominate!
TRENDS has named the Young & Aspiring Association Professionals since 1998. Do you know a young professional who shows potential? Nominations are accepted year-round. Nominees must be
– younger than 40
– ideally a chief staff executive or among senior staff, though we’ll consider all nominations
– at least five years of association management experience (does not have to be continuous); and
– well-known in the association community (local, state, regional or national) with an outstanding reputation.
Send nominations to TRENDS managing editor E. Francisco Dalere at edd@AssociationTRENDS.com, with “TRENDS Y&A nomination” as the subject.
