McKinley ASAE Annual Reflections

Throughout the 2024 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition, our team was able to connect with the association community, lead sessions, present in panels alongside association executives, and gain outside perspectives from subject matter experts and organizations that are breaking new ground.

Hear from our team members about their experience and reflections from #ASAE24: 

Jay Younger, President and CEO

The overarching theme of the Annual Meeting, In Unity, We Thrive, set an inspirational backdrop for the entire event. There is so much potential for associations to make positive contributions to our world, particularly when we come together as collaborators and co-creators. What unites us is far stronger than what divides us.

The opening general session with Amanda Gorman was an absolute masterpiece. Among her most powerful messages was encouraging the audience to not share our wisdom with the next generation, but to share our power. She also brought optimism and determination to the event that resonated throughout the conference.

The importance of effective governance was everywhere: multiple sessions and the launch of the new ASAE Association Governance Institute were among the areas where we saw these commitments showing up. 

I left ASAE Annual feeling that the future of association management is bright - the excitement, engagement, diversity and wisdom of the next generation of association leaders is inspiring.

Kristi Donovan, Practice Director

This year’s Annual Meeting explored what it means to be united in community with one another, both as association executives and as association leaders. We are so much more powerful when we work in the aggregate toward our common goals, and that starts with being aligned on our community’s values, purpose and ideals. We are seeing so much misalignment in our society around these areas and I think there is a leadership role for associations to play to demonstrate how we can successfully come together to achieve our goals and do our best work.

Amanda Gorman’s session was incredible. It was powerful and engaging, and one of the few sessions I would ever consider paying to have a recording of! I think the entire room was captivated by her. One of the many takeaways I had was when the interviewer (Holly Ransom - also phenomenal!) commented on Amanda as “the voice of a generation,” and Amanda rephrased it to say “a voice of the generation” - her point being that there are many voices, and we need to see and elevate them all. 

I’m always interested to see what ASAE tries that is new and different and one of the things they did this year was the closing session with Choir! Choir! Choir! This was a really unique way to close out a conference, and it rounded out the unity theme. The performers engaged the audience by singing a variety of songs in a fun and humorous way. What I loved most was that it got folks to loosen their ties, have some fun, and bond with each other in a common experience. I haven’t seen anything like this before, and I think they would be a spectacular addition to any conference - especially where fostering or strengthening community is a priority. 

In terms of takeaways, I attended a session on “EPIC” leadership at the end of the conference by Marli Williams, where E stood for “Elevate Your Energy” and P is “Play on Purpose.”  The first was a reminder that energy is contagious and leaders “bring the weather” - meaning, you must be mindful of the energy you bring to a room. With play, it was a reminder to myself that when I get out of my head - either playing a game with my daughter, engaging in creative activity, or even making a mess while cooking – it’s an opportunity to take risks with minimal consequences, and to remember to not take myself too seriously!

Patrick Glaser, Chief Practice Officer

Several years ago, the association world felt like it was adjusting and responding to massive amounts of change and disruption. This meeting underscored our learning - whether that is through our governance structures, greater levels of empathy and understanding of our stakeholders, or in creating spaces that allow our staff to bring their full abilities to work and shine. The association community has learned, reflected, and is on a journey of evolving in a very proactive and intentional way.

I really enjoyed Jay Younger’s session, where he moderated a panel with Abraham Eshkenazi, Chief Executive Officer at ASCM, and Ann Jordan, President and CEO of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). You had these two very insightful and intelligent association CEOs who share some similar and differing perspectives on complex governance challenges. The session highlighted that we face dilemmas every day and that there isn’t necessarily a single approach to resolving “the issue.” What is necessary is confidence, humility, and the willingness to make big decisions.

Many innovative strategies were showcased at ASAE Annual. I learned much from those that I spoke with in breakout sessions as well. One that stuck out to me was during my Navigating Divergent Beliefs workshop with McKinley’s Kristi Donovan and Vicki Deal-Williams, Chief Executive Officer at ASHA. Vicki talked about the strategy she took to navigate a powerful social issue/event that her own members wanted the association to respond to. She showcased the value of being honest, vulnerable and direct with her board to break through the real walls and barriers preventing them from navigating the issue. Ultimately, this is a major challenge facing associations - how to open yourself up for the sake of real progress, even when the temperature is high.

The association community is optimistic for the future, it's proactive, and I believe we feel a new energy towards our impact for the future. 

Tim Hopkins, Managing Director

In Unity, We Thrive was the theme this year, and across the event, we saw different ways in which associations bring together voices across their industries in a consciously inclusive manner to deliver results for their industries and associations broadly. 

ASAE Annual Hall of Fame keynote speaker Amanda Gorman, poet laureate, and all-around impressive human being, shared a few great quotes during ASAE Annual that I won’t soon forget:

• “Older generations think they need to pass down wisdom. What they really need to do is pass down power.” Words and knowledge only go so far. Gorman noted that there is a greater need for people in positions of power to empower the next generation. Especially given the outsized role the next generation will play in the challenges and opportunities ahead.
• “Start with the wound.” We often use the phrase “Say the thing” at McKinley to address the “elephant in the room” that is often holding us back from achieving our best work. Gorman noted the same sentiment, sharing that to make meaningful change happen, it’s vital to address the core pain that is in need of healing.
• ”We connect more with authenticity than perfection.” In change management, progress over perfection is an important theme to remember. Gorman noted that authenticity will always be a key connector of humans, which can help unlock progress needed on ambitious change efforts the world needs now and in the future.

Conscious inclusion (the intentional prioritization of people and organizations across different industries, experience levels, specialties, and more) was emphasized throughout ASAE Annual. While many headwinds challenge prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging efforts, associations continue to show and prove that the most effective and innovative organizations maximize their potential with conscious inclusion efforts.

Through the years, ASAE has intentionally improved its representation of leaders across all organization types, backgrounds, expertise levels and specialties. This board is as consciously inclusive of ASAE members and organizations as it ever has been, and it is something worth celebrating.

One of the takeaways from ASAE Annual was that while we continue to find innovative ways to connect virtually throughout the year to do incredible things, there is still great power in connecting people in person. Education and training can be delivered virtually with great efficiency and effectiveness, but the discussions after sessions, in the hallways, and at social gatherings are hard to replicate.

#ASAE24 Photo Gallery

Pictured: Abraham Eshkenazi, Jay Younger, Ann Jordan

Pictured: Tim Hopkins, Sharon Newport, Maunda Land, Saima Hedrick, Sharleene Cano 

Pictured: Tim Hopkins, Terin Bates, Leslie Frazier 

Pictured: Tim Hopkins, Robert Duke, Diana Tucker, Joanne Duncan 

Pictured: Patrick Glaser, Scott Steen, Greg Schultz, Erin Fuller, Jay Younger, Janice Lachance 

Pictured: Richard Green, Amy Lestition Burke, Erin Fuller, Jay Younger