Chad E. Harris, CAE, President-Elect
Executive Director, FarmHouse Fraternity
With the start of a new year for KCSAE comes new opportunity for you, our members. Using the feedback you provided through the annual member survey and the listening work from various task force recommendations last year, I hope you’ve seen the result already through the new opportunities being presented in the 2016-17 line-up of KCSAE events. You’ll find programs from which to network and expand your professional skills, but in new ways.
To remain relevant and a vital resource to our association professional colleagues – at all levels – KCSAE is committed to being responsive to the needs of our members. This evolution of programs is most notable in the formation and launch of refocused special interest groups (SIGS). The SIGs are a means to continue the networking and to extend conversations from educational sessions in focused ways to professionals in varying functional areas and career states – including CEOs, Advanced Professionals, Membership and Emerging Professionals.
KCSAE members are invited to self-select the SIG that best fits their respective professional role and/or may attend SIG programs based on the topic (with the exception of CEO Roundtables). Emerging Professionals, those new to the association management community, do not need to be KCSAE members and can use the SIG meet-up or program as an opportunity to meet fellow professionals new to the craft and “try before they buy” a full membership in KCSAE.
Did you know that over 60% of KCSAE members self-identify as “mid to advanced professionals?” Keeping this in mind, there is opportunity for continued growth and expansion of the special interest groups. We thank the moderators and conveners of each SIGs for this year including: Jay Donohue, CAE (CEO Roundtables); Tiffany Shepherd, CAE (Advanced Professionals); Brad Patterson (Membership); and Katasha Kumar (Emerging Professionals). Beyond the in-person opportunities, each special interest group includes a moderated list-serv, as a resource for idea sharing, best practice offerings and continued conversation on important topics.
This effort to identify, support and evaluate networking opportunities for our members is the first phase of adopting recommendations offered last spring of the Education and Networking Task Force. In spring 2017, volunteers from varying sectors of KCSAE will convene to identify the important professional skills and topics our members need, in addition to further recommendation consideration for implementation into the 2017-18 year.
Let us hear from you now, so that KCSAE leadership may support your professional growth and remain a relevant vital resource, not just today, but into the future.