News

December 2022 

Media Contact:
Megan Piluk
mpiluk@mckinley-advisors.com

McKinley Advisors Announces Expanded Ownership 
New ownership group includes former association CEOs, CAEs, and ASAE Fellows

Washington, DC – McKinley Advisors’ senior leadership team members Karli Susi, MBA, Suzanna Kelley, MBA, FAIA, C. David Gammel, FASAE, CAE, Jon Hockman, CPF, FASAE and Patrick Glaser, M.A., MPA have become equity partners at the industry-leading association consulting firm McKinley Advisors (McKinley). They join president and CEO Jay Younger, FASAE, as co-owners of the firm.

“They are incredibly talented individuals, fearless leaders and trusted mentors and colleagues to our growing team at McKinley. By expanding and diversifying our ownership group we are now extremely well positioned to achieve our long-term vision. They are also dear friends, and I am humbled and honored that they have decided to join me as investors in the firm,” said Younger of his partners.

The ownership group will make key strategic decisions about the future of the firm that best position McKinley to continue to drive positive impact for its clients and the members and missions they serve.

Karli Susi, MBA, McKinley Chief Operating Officer, optimizes processes and structures to support the growth of McKinley and ensure ongoing financial and operational health. She leads many of McKinley’s essential business functions, including human resources, finance, business development and operations. Prior to McKinley, Karli worked in nonprofit marketing and management positions, and has a background in brand strategy consulting for small businesses.

Suzanna Kelley, MBA, FAIA, McKinley Chief Experience Officer, leads McKinley’s marketing and industry relations functions and supports its project delivery teams in their efforts to consistently deliver exceptional experiences and high value results to their clients. Suzanna also leads client relationships focused in the design and construction industry with an emphasis on business transformation, licensure policy, and strategic alliances. Suzanna brings more than 15 years of association management experience to McKinley and formerly served as Managing Director for Strategic Alliances & Initiatives at the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

C. David Gammel, FASAE, CAE, McKinley Chief Practice Officer, ensures McKinley clients elevate their impact and make the transformations necessary to best serve their field or industry as chair of the firm’s Strategy and Innovation practice. Before joining the McKinley team, David spent nine years as the executive director of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), worked for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Employee Relocation Council, and founded his own consulting business, High Context Consulting.

Jon Hockman, CPF, FASAE, McKinley Chief Practice Officer, brings more than two decades of consulting experience with hundreds of associations in the U.S. and abroad to McKinley as chair of McKinley’s Organizational Excellence and Business Transformation practices. A specialist in facilitating communication, Jon has aided clients in areas including strategic planning, change management, organizational culture and leadership development. Prior to joining McKinley, Jon founded the d3 Group, served as a partner of KRW International, was the CEO of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity and was a major gifts fundraiser for both the American University and the Children’s Defense Fund.

Patrick Glaser, M.A., MPA, McKinley Chief Practice Officer, chairs the Research and Insights practice at McKinley which delivers actionable market intelligence to clients, underpins the firm’s other practice areas and adds unparalleled depth to its industry thought leadership studies. Prior to joining McKinley, Patrick served as the director of standards for the Insights Association, and led the development of marketing research ethical standards and best practices, created industry-wide accreditation programs, and led the industry’s research-on-research efforts to address leading-edge issues in survey and opinion research. He has also served as a survey methodologist for Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.

About McKinley Advisors

McKinley Advisors is an award-winning association consulting firm dedicated to accelerating associations’ positive impact on the world. McKinley works in partnership with association executives and volunteer leaders to identify and address their most significant challenges and opportunities. McKinley provides services through four practice areas—Strategy and Innovation, Organizational Excellence, Business Transformation, and Research and Insights.

Learn more about McKinley Advisors at www.mckinley-advisors.com.