A Diverse Cohort of Association Leaders
See C-Suite From The CEO Seat
A unique 8-month, executive leadership immersion program that empowers senior association leaders to expand their “leadership lens” by intentionally including a diversity of stakeholder perspectives when making leadership decisions.
This program is ideal for association directors (or Vice Presidents from smaller associations) interested in pursuing C-suite career opportunities.
The demographic make-up of the cohort (maximum 12 participants) is designed to include leaders from a wide variety of backgrounds, especially those which have been historically under-represented in association C-suite roles. This includes, but is not limited to, individuals from different races, ethnicities, orientations, abilities, and religions.
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Spring 2023 Registration OPEN!
**Virtual classes begin: March 21, 2023
**Monthly classes will be the 3rd Tuesday each month from 3:00 – 6:00ET
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Investment for this program: $3,750
NOTE: Applicants facing budget constraints may apply to receive an $800 scholarship. Please email the facilitators for consideration:
Mary Power mary@mpoweringleaders.com
Shira Lotzar shira@purposefulhire.com
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REGISTRATION DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO February 28, 2023 Cohort will be announced in early March.
Check out this testimonial video from our 2022 pilot cohort!
Why Now?
Today’s associations are facing era of continual disruption. And that means a leader’s response has more impact – and is much more visible – than ever before. Our sector needs executives with a diverse lens set who are equipped to incorporate a wider spectrum of perspectives to help the association anticipate and respond to changing member and community needs.
Who should participate?
We invite association leaders, particularly those who historically come from backgrounds that have not been well represented in association senior leadership roles, and who want to enhance their skills and increase their value in future C-suite roles. To the extent possible, the intent of the cohort is to be “non-majority” so that no one demographic is over-represented. Participants should have at least 10 years of total work experience and at least 5 years of management experience.
Takeaways
This 8-month immersion experience will help participants “walk a mile” in the shoes of their internal and external stakeholders by developing key skills and learning to widen their lens. This will be facilitated by:
- A signature “lens builder,” that helps clarify the way they and others experience the world around them
- A mentoring forum of association experts who will share their own experiences and lenses on leading associations through disruption
- A continuous learning exchange around practical case studies that will help participants apply various lenses to new situations
- A peer network of colleagues who are modeling self-awareness by learning to share their own lenses and create a safe incubator for lens and skill exploration
- A final project that incorporates participants’ lenses and learnings into a real-time initiative in their association
MEET THE MENTORS
NOTE: The mentors below are from the 2022 cohort and will change slightly for 2023.
Prior to each session, participants will watch a recorded interview with two of the mentors below who will share their lens on the session topic and provide a case study. During the live session, participants will have an opportunity to engage with the mentors to exchange ideas and reflect on how they might handle similar leadership situations in the future.
Stephen Kaminski
President and CEO
National Propane Gas Association
Donna Mazyck
Executive Director, National Association of School Nurses
Joe McClain
CEO, Help Heal Veterans
Peter O’Neil
FASAE, CAE
CEO, ASIS International
Divya Parikh
MPH, CAE
VP of Research & Education
Medical Professional Liabilty Association
Kraig R. Naasz
Partner & Sr. Strategist
Sound Counsel Crisis Communications
Donté Shannon
FASAE, CAE
Association CEO/VP Strategic Partnerships
AMPED Association Management
Wendy-Jo Toyama
MBA, FASAE, CAE
CEO, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Vani Ungapen
CAE
Executive Director, The American Association of Law Libraries
Richard Yep
CAE, FASAE
CEO, American Counseling Association
Cynthia Young
CAE
Executive Director, American Art Therapy Association
Allan Freedman
MS, SHRM-SCP
COO, National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
Katrina Holland
CEO, American College of Nurse-Midwives
Wanda Johnson
CEO, American Society for Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition
What Leaders Will Learn
Session #1: Lens Builder
Which personal and professional lenses do you use to solve problems and engage others? Our signature lens builder will help you identify your lenses – and those of your colleagues – so you can more effectively solve leadership challenges.
After the first session, each class will showcase diverse CEO mentors who will share their lenses and learnings in the following areas:
Session #2: Strategic Foresight
What is foresight and why is it necessary? How can you reframe your lens with strategic foresight? What impedes associations from using foresight?
Session #3: Value creation
Why is value creation integral to an association’s survival? Which lenses may be vital to strategic value creation? How can you help others adopt a continuous value creation lens?
Session #4: Revenue Generation
How can you adopt a business lens when considering new revenue models? How do you balance the need to support mission with revenue generation? How can you layer in revenue models without being seen as “nickle and diming” your stakeholders?
Session #5: Board Relations
What are some fundamental differences between the board’s lens and yours? Why is it vital to keep the board’s lens top of mind? How can you incorporate the board’s lens into your leadership lens?
Session #6: Being a CSE (chief staff executive)
What is unique about the CSE lens? How does it differ from the lenses of staff, volunteers, and external stakeholders? How can you incorporate their lenses to reframe your own, even if you are not the CSE?
Session #7: Operations/Financial Management
What is unique about the operations/financial lens? How does this lens affect your ability to lead through change? How can you incorporate this lens to reframe your own?
Session #8: Final Project presentation
(Optional) This summary project is an opportunity to leverage your lens learnings by evaluating a short- or long-range initiative faced by your association. The project will be begin after Session #1 and the presentation to the cohort will occur in Session #8.
MEET THE FACILITATORS
Mary Power, ACC, CAE, FASAE
M-Powering Leaders
Mary believes that today’s association leaders need to know how to effectively leverage change at all levels, confront unique challenges and take ownership of their future. Market forces, staff expectations, board directives and member demands are evolving at an ever-increasing speed. Through her executive coaching, she supports leaders in creating a safe space where clear, powerful, strategic thinking can take place. Having led three very diverse associations as CEO, Mary is well-positioned to appreciate the board, operations and staffing challenges that CEOs face today.
Shira Lotzar
Purposeful Hire
Shira believes that great associations are cultivated by great leaders. In today’s disruptive market, association executives are being challenged to think differently and lead differently. Boards need innovative, industry-focused visionaries to drive tangible value that makes the ROI of membership obvious. With a compelling “why,” associations can sustainably attract and engage members while generating sustainable revenue streams. Through her extensive background recruiting and coaching association executives, Shira has encouraged and championed leaders to foster innovation among their boards and staff.