Speakers

Speakers A-L (alpha by first name)

Alex Sheen, Founder, because I said I would.
Keynote

Alex is the founder of because I said I would, a social movement and nonprofit dedicated to bettering humanity through promises made and kept. Sparked by the loss of his father, Alex and his organization send “promise cards” to anyone anywhere in the world at no cost. Alex is someone who truly honors commitment. He once walked over 240 miles across the entire state of Ohio in 10 days to fulfill a promise. In just two years, because I said I would has sent over 12.3  million promise cards to over 153 different countries. The promises written on these cards have made headlines around the world. Alex is a five time Tedx Talk speaker and his charitable work has been featured on ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, CNN, The Today Show, NPR, The Los Angeles Times and many other programs.

 

Amy Hager, CAE, IOM, Co-Founder, Association Rockstars
Membership & Marketing Survival Guide

Amy is a go-getter with a passion for community. Her experiences help her relate and apply strategies across many different industries by utilizing her background in marketing, communications, engagement, community development, and organizational growth. In 2006, Amy started as a volunteer at her local chamber/associations and her passion grew into a career with a variety of national associations, state chamber, and tourism organizations and she still continues as a local member and volunteer. As the co-founder of Association Rockstars, an online interview series focusing on the unsung superheroes of the Association and Chamber World, Amy really enjoys connecting with people from all over the globe to help them spread the word about their amazing missions and movements.

 

Andrew Chamberlain, Chief Development Officer, Elevated
Attention Economics: The Bottleneck of Human Thought

A former association chief executive, for 15 years Andrew held c-suite positions in professional membership bodies across the UK. Since early 2016 he has worked internationally as a specialist non-profit consultancy, providing expert training and support in business development, leadership, strategy, and good governance. With a proven pedigree in understanding and maximizing stakeholder dynamics, engagement, and growth, he volunteers as the Executive Director of the Institute of Association Leadership; is founder of the Cambridge Governance Symposium; is the author of the NETpositive Governance™ model; editor of the IAL Almanac; co-author of "compass: the systems map for association leadership"; and is co-host of the transatlantic podcast "Association Transformation.”

 

Anne Ornelas, DES, Senior Manager, Business Systems and Strategic Initiatives, CASSS
Ready for a Change? Position Yourself for a Career Shift

Anne adds value to CASSS by developing the digital strategies and operational technologies used to create exceptional online experiences and for members and staff. She loves her unique role because it’s completely different from anything she’s worked on in her 20+ years in associations. Anne is a recipient of the 2021 Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) Champions Award, 2012-2014 ASAE DELP Scholar, and 2011 National Urban Fellows America's Leader of Change. Secret Super Power: Enthusiasm – The ability to bring excitement and passion to a project or task, as well as in everyday life, with Tigger as my kindred spirit. In other words, I do my best to make things fun, even when they are not

 

Becca Stickney, CAE,  Chief Executive Officer, Elevated
Attention Economics: The Bottleneck of Human Thought 

Becca is a dynamic Chief Executive Officer and business leader with a proven pedigree in building and sustaining high-impact team culture. A global specialist in professional education, for nearly 20 years she has designed, published, and delivered professional education programs and training curriculum for a wide variety of organizations in the non-profit sector. As CEO of Elevated, she leads a diverse and talented team of professionals who are dispersed across the US and UK, but who combine under her leadership to deliver impactful education strategy, eLearning development, certification services, conference management, and podcast production. She consults worldwide on innovative learning practice and strategies for business growth and, driven by her passion for cultivating high-performing teams, she has developed creative ways to engage and inspire teams, including RE:engage. Beyond her consulting role, Becca serves as the Director of Education for the Neurocritical Care Society.

 

Bill Conforti, SVP, Strategy & Solutions, Association Analytics
Engagement Scoring Workshop

 Bill has more than 20 years in software products and services with experience ranging from strategy, operations, consulting, business development, human resources, and program management. As Senior Vice President of Strategy & Solutions at Association Analytics, Bill is a hands-on executive working across departments to support sales, development, continuous improvement, and delivery of our products and services to provide the best value and customer experience. Prior to joining Association Analytics, Bill was Vice President at EastBanc Technologies, a software development and services company. During his time there, he helped drive growth from an 8-person startup to more than 100 staff with several successful products launched over 10+ years.

 

Bob Green, CPA, CITP, CGMA, Partner, SL Business Informatics, SingerLewak, LLP
A CAE/CEO’s Learnings and Path to IT Effectiveness

 In his role with SingerLewak’s "SL Business Informatics" advisory practices, Bob combines CPA, CFO, consulting and technologist skills in the role of strategic technology advisor, serving both for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. Bob and his team guide clients through complex systems initiatives - from beginning to successful completion – leveraging extensive business and technology experience to govern and manage these initiatives. Previously, Bob spent 8 years at PWC and then served as a CFO in a growing, technologically-challenged business - this led him to choose a career path focused on bringing successes to CFO's and their businesses when undertaking IT transformation. Bob is active philanthropically in the greater Los Angeles area, and enjoys family, friends and being outdoors on the many local hiking trails.

 

Brett Fraser, MBA, MA, Association Services Director + Strategist, Compass Management Solutions
Associations: Know Thy Value Proposition!

Brett brings nearly a decade of association experience to the table. Throughout his career in the association world, he has successfully undertaken projects focused on membership growth and retention, membership structure overhauls, database conversions, marketing and content creation, committee development, and more. Brett says that he finds most success with clients when they can work together "to understand a company’s core value proposition which allows for the creation of effective strategies to increase individual engagement with the association."

 

Brett Jeffery, CAE, General Manager, AuSAE New Zealand
Refining Stakeholder Engagement to Enhance Your Members' Prestige

 Brett is a long term AuSAE member and has served on the AuSAE board for five years. Brett has been involved in the relationship and engagement marketing in a wide variety of capacities for over 20 years. He is one of New Zealand’s top membership connection specialist and has assisted hundreds of member-based not-for-profit organisations with their engagement processes. He specialises in assisting and up-skilling staff, volunteers and boards to improve member value. He held multi board roles in the NFP sector. Brett is passionate about ensuring not-for-profit leaders receive opportunities to network and further their careers.

Christopher Hamade, Principal, Alchemy Agency Ltd
The Case for Experiential Design

 Christopher is motivated by ideas that contradict the status quo, compete with conventional wisdom, and favor the counterintuitive.  His passion for entrepreneurship and lateral thinking have led to innovations in association non-dues revenue across North America. His business ventures include a private equity firm (CBH Capital Corp.), and designing a marketplace for the meeting & events industry (Venue Series). Chris has been featured at conferences and events, in-person and virtual, speaking on topics that offer creative perspectives, unique ideas and often matched with a bit of humour

 

David Murillo, CAE, President & CEO, Compass Management Solutions
Associations: Know Thy Value Proposition!

 With 20+ years of industry experience, David is a highly respected association executive that specializes in providing governance and strategic guidance to association Boards of Directors. David’s career in the association world began in membership services and development and services including time as a membership executive for the California Special Districts Association, The American Council of Engineering Companies and the California Restaurant Association. Prior to establishing Compass Management Solutions, David was the President and Chief Mission Officer of another association management company, where he oversaw business operations while serving as the Executive Director of multiple associations groups varying in size, mission, industry and demographic.

 

Denice Hinden, PhD, MCC, Leadership Coach, Managance Coaching
Elevating Mental Fitness for Inclusive Leadership

 Denice is on a mission to ignite passion and opportunity for nonprofit and association leaders and their workplaces. With over 3000 hours of leadership coaching and 20+ years of meeting facilitation and team building, Denice raises awareness about mental fitness and diversity, equity, and inclusion, which heightens performance, meaningful results, and more joy at work. Before consulting and coaching, Denice had a successful career in nonprofit and public management from program associate to executive director. Denice is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) through the International Coach Federation.

 

Donté Shannon, FASAE, CAE, Nonprofit Strategy Advisor, Independent Consultant
Using Futures-Thinking to Advance Your Executive Career

 Donté has been in association management for 17 years, and has served as Chief Executive Officer for multiple associations. He draws upon his experience working with small, large, professional, trade, medical and foundation organizations. A devoted professional and decorated leader, Donté has served as 2020-2021 Chair of the ASAE CAE Commission, and was recently recognized as a 2020 digitalNow Leader of Distinction and a 2020 ASAE Fellow.

 

Irving Washington, FASAE, CAE, Senior Fellow, Kaiser Family Foundation, Former CEO, Online News Association
Emcee, General Session: Authentic Leadership for the Future (Reprise)

Irving Washington, FASAE, CAE, is a Senior Fellow for Health Disinformation at the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a nonprofit organization focusing on national health issues serving as a source of facts, analysis, and journalism for policymakers, the media, the health policy community and the public. Before joining KFF, he was the CEO of the Online News Association (ONA), one of the world's largest membership organizations for digital journalists. At ONA, he led efforts to build a foundation for journalism's future by leveraging the power of new media technologies to raise up the next generation of diverse media leaders.

 

Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE, Executive Advisor, Foresight First LLC
The Six Toughest Decisions Association Boards Must Make Masterclass, Reinventing Board/Staff Partnership for The Turbulent Twenties

 Jeff is an association contrarian, foresight practitioner, governing designer, stakeholder/successor advocate, and stewardship catalyst. He is the 32nd recipient of ASAE’s Academy of Leaders Award, the association’s highest individual honor given to consultants or industry partners in recognition of their support of ASAE and the association community. Jeff is an author, speaker and advisor for associations and non-profit organizations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK) and a Fellow of ASAE.

 

Jeffrey S. Tenenbaum, Esq., Managing Partner, Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC
Ask the Association Attorney: Everything You Need to Know

Jeff is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit attorneys, and also is an accomplished author, lecturer, and commentator on nonprofit legal matters. Jeff counsels senior management and boards of directors of his clients on the broad array of legal and sensitive business and governance issues affecting charities, trade and professional associations, foundations, international NGOs, arts and cultural institutions, think tanks, educational institutions, and other nonprofit organizations. He is widely regarded as an innovative, highly responsive attorney with great judgment who provides practical, understandable advice extending to virtually every nonprofit legal issue and best practice. Jeff also regularly represents clients before Congress, federal and state regulatory agencies, and in connection with governmental and internal investigations, enforcement actions, litigation, and in dealing with the media.

 

Jenn Norman, CAE, VP, Customer Growth, Novi AMS
Love 'em or Lose 'em! Onboarding with Intention for Retention.

As the VP of Customer Growth, Jenn helped to develop and systemize customer onboarding and retention efforts for Novi AMS. Much like onboarding new members, a great customer experience and showing value from day one ensures renewals and establish successful partnerships for years to come. Her work daily includes the critical piece of getting new and current customers to engage, adopt and amplify the change their associations make in the industry.

 

Jessica Brustad, Keynote Speaker and Founder, The Funny Yogi
Improvisational Leadership: Using Improv to Lead Change

Improv and Stand Up Comedian, 500 Hr RYT Yoga Instructor and Laughter Yoga Leader. Professional Motivational Speaker, Reality TV Star, and former member of The National Comedy Theatre’s Sunday Company. Experienced sales and project manager who now helps organizations play hard and work smarter. Jessica earned her stripes in the corporate world early, with managing positions from tech start-ups in NYC to household names like Myspace. She studied Improv and Stand Up Comedy at Mission Improvable in Los Angeles and The National Comedy Theatre in San Diego. She received her 500 Hr Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through YogaWorks at the Prana Yoga Center in La Jolla, CA and became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader through the International Laughter Yoga University. These contradictory interests lead her to create her own business: The Funny Yogi.

 

Jessica Mirabile, Senior Trainer and Recruiting Director, California Employers Association
Designing an Employee Retention Culture

As a highly experienced executive with over 25 years of spearheading high impact initiatives and leading teams, Jessica knows the value of helping employers connect with great talent. As an experienced trainer and coach with a passion for building talent, whether in groups or as an executive coach, Jessica has earned a reputation as an engaging, fun and effective professional who delivers results. She has conducted training for thousands of leaders and teams across the country. In her current role, she assists in the management, development, delivery and administration of various workshops and training programs for employers and professionals in all fields. Jessica is a certified and licensed instructor and coach for Dale Carnegie programs and a StrengthsFinder Coach.

 

Kathy Gruver, PhD, ACC, Speaker, Author, Coach
Say What?! How to Communicate Anything to Anyone.

Kathy is an award-winning author, professional speaker, and ACC certified coach with over 30 years of experience in mind/body medicine and human behavior. An entertainer and educator imbuing all her programs with practicality and passion. With a West Coast mentality and an East Coast delivery, her humorous, down to earth, and engaging style has captivated hundreds of audiences on four continents, three cruise ships and a handful of islands. It’s been her true honor to have delivered two TEDx talks.

Kathy has written eight books which have garnered 12 awards, hosted a TV series based on her first book, developed a stress reduction program for the US military, and co-hosts the Fire and Earth Podcast. She has penned countless articles and appears regularly as a guest on radio, TV and in print media.

 

Kurt Shaver, Group Business Development Manager, Sonoma County Tourism
Ready for a Change? Position Yourself for a Career Shift

Kurt Shaver joined Sonoma County Tourism as Group Business Development Manager in July 2021. In this role Kurt is responsible for attracting groups and special events to Sonoma County for overnights stays and meetings. Kurt works with meeting planners, associations, non-profits, government agencies and other organization types while working with local hotel partners, venues, wineries, and attractions that focus on meetings the. Kurt’s duties include trade show attendance, participation in meeting industry associations, conducting buyer site visits and FAM tours, social media engagement, and other community activities. His background includes 20 years of experience in the technology sales industry. After leaving the corporate world, Kurt founded his own sales training and professional speaking company. Six years later his business merged with a training company where Kurt served as a founding partner for 4 years before joining the SCT team.

 

Lisa Braithwaite, M.A.  Public Speaking Coach and Presentation Skills Trainer, The LisaB Company
Networking Works: Build Relationships to Grow Your Organization

Lisa Braithwaite is on a mission to help purpose-driven leaders build visibility, credibility, and awareness for their work through engaging presentations, a mindset of service, and authentic connection.

Before launching her company in 2005, she spent sixteen years as an advocate and educator in the nonprofit sector, as well as founding her own nonprofit organization. This background, together with her B.A. in theater and M.A. in education, has influenced her upbeat and accessible approach to public speaking. She’s the author of Presenting for Humans: Insights for Speakers on Ditching Perfection and Creating Connection. Lisa models authentic, aligned, collaborative and FUN presentations using relevant, practical, and useful content that activates the audience's emotional engagement and moves them into action.

 

Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPF, CEO, Vista Cova
Your Board Wasn't Born Perfect: New Orientation, Refresh, and Onboarding

Lowell Aplebaum, FASAE, CAE, CPF is the CEO and Strategy Catalyst of Vista Cova – a company that partners with organizations on strategic visioning and planning, creating stronger stakeholder connections, and reimagining value and engagement. As an IAF Certified™ Professional Facilitator, Lowell frequently provides dynamic sessions to organizations - getting volunteers, members, and staff involved through experiential learning approaches. After starting his career in the informal education realm, over the course of more than a decade, Lowell has worked inside associations in a variety of roles. After serving as the Chief Operating Officer for a medical association, Lowell founded Vista Cova – returning to his passion of facilitating for and partnering with volunteer leaders, members, and staff.

Speakers M-Z (alpha by first name)

Melanee Cottrill, MBA, Executive Director, California Association of School Psychologists
Leadership Survival Guide

Melanee Cottrill is the Executive Director of the California Association of School Psychologists. Before joining CASP, she served two years as Associate Director of the California Farmland Trust. She also spent nearly a decade forming, funding, and advising associations. She is earned her Master’s Degree in Business Administration and is currently pursuing her CAE. Melanee is a Past President of the Sacramento Valley Paralegal Association, a Distinguished Toastmaster, and a member of CalSAE’s professional development committee.

 

Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, President & CEO, ASAE
Guest Speaker
General Session: Authentic Leadership for the Future (Reprise)

Michelle is passionate about the advancement of the professional practice of association management. Prior to ASAE, Michelle served as the President and CEO of Association Forum for seven years; as Managing Director of Strategy and Innovation at the American Society for Quality (ASQ); and Vice President of Strategic and Future Focused Research Programs at ASAE. Michelle currently serves on Destinations International Foundation, and Tourism Diversity Matters (TDM). Michelle is a Chicago Business Journal Women of Influence Honoree 2019, Chicago Defender Women of Excellence Honoree 2019, and the CEO Update Professional Society CEO of the Year 2020. Michelle is a certified association executive (CAE), Fellow of the American Society for Association Executives (FASAE) and a Certified Quality Improvement Associate (CQIA).

Natalie Amezcua, Curriculum and Content Developer, RISE Travel Institute
Membership & Marketing Survival Guide

Natalie is passionate about influencing social justice through anti-oppressive frameworks and studying the interconnections of systemic issues that are detrimental to humans, animals, and the planet in order to bridge gaps in equity and promote a healthier, solution-driven world for all. As a curriculum and content developer at RISE Travel Institute, Natalie uses her professional background in education and her experience working and traveling outside of the US to educate students and professionals in the travel industry on how to travel in ways that cause the least harm and most good to other groups of people, animals, and biodiversity.

 

Necoya Tyson, Director, Meeting Operations, CASSS
Meetings, Events & Exhibits Survival Guide

In her role, Necoya leads and grows CASSS’ event portfolio – a key member value – in a post-COVID world. She also helps to create, launch, and execute additional meetings to help the organization expand its value. Previously, she was the Vice President of Education & Events for the Texas Bankers Association (TBA) in Austin, TX where she led the conference planning logistics, professional development and educational needs of the association’s members throughout every stage of their careers. She has been planning events for over 17 years and truly feels that this is her passion. When it comes to planning, she believes that excellent customer service and a positive attitude are the key elements to producing successful events. Bringing people together with diverse backgrounds to listen to one another, learn from each other and achieve common goals is something that Necoya prides herself on.

 

Oyango Snell, Esq., CAE, Executive Director, California Lawyers Association
Leadership Survival Guide

Oyango serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the California Lawyers Association (CLA), the leading voice for California attorneys, and its charitable organizational arm, the California Lawyers Foundation (CLF). He recently served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), a regional advocacy energy association. Oyango served as a senior advisor on the association's leadership team and filled the role of corporate secretary advising the President and the Board of Directors on corporate governance matters. Prior to joining WSPA, Oyango served as the chief legislative and regulatory counsel for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America. With nearly 15 years of experience in the association space, Oyango has been engaged in legislative, regulatory, and legal advocacy for national, regional, and state-based associations.

 

Patrick Dorsey, SVP, Impexium
Life After Launch. Now What? Tactics to Ensure Success.

Patrick is the SVP, Marketing and responsible for the positioning; demand generation; CRM and automated marketing initiatives; as well as the integrated marketing efforts for Impexium, Billhighway and Greekbill. With over 25 years of experience across all marketing disciplines, Patrick has designed and executed dozens of marketing initiatives focused on building and launching products and services that allow organizations to rally around on single vision, redefine categories, outflank the competition, establish market leadership and exceed business objectives.

 

Patrick Utz, CEO, Co-Founder, abstract.us
The Future of Advocacy: How to Advocate for Members Effectively

Originally from Los Angeles, and a first generation American, Patrick is passionate about increasing government transparency - most of this fascination comes from his father who immigrated to the United States, with the intention of streamlining Argentinean politics. While finishing up his Junior year of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at Loyola Marymount University, Patrick decided to merge his passion of government, with modern algorithms to re-invent how policy teams interact with pending legislation. He now leads a team of 11 at Abstract, with his Co-Founders: Mo & Matt. Abstract is a modern platform & database for working with California state & local legislation, that helps policy teams save time, uncover important regulatory insights, and bolster their value to clients. Patrick is personally passionate about startups, tech, skiing/hiking, photography, and increasing government transparency. He lives in Sacramento, and spends most weekends recharging in the Sierras.

 

Patton McDowell, MBA, CFRE, CEO, PMA Nonprofit Leadership
Using Futures-Thinking to Advance Your Executive Career

Patton is a nonprofit expert, best-selling author, speaker, consultant and coach. He founded PMA Nonprofit Leadership in 2009, and has worked with nearly 275 organizations on their staff and board development, fundraising and strategic planning. Previously he led fundraising teams at two universities after nearly a decade working for Special Olympics International and for the North Carolina chapter. He’s a Master Trainer for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and a former board president for AFP Charlotte and chapter representative for the AFP Global board of directors. His podcast Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership now includes nearly 200 episodes featuring nonprofit leaders from around the world, and he published his first book, also titled Your Path to Nonprofit Leadership, in March of 2022.

 

Rachel Selwan, QAS, Owner, New Level Mgmt. LLC
Productivity Hacks: Approaching Work Like a Game

Rachel has been involved in the associations industry and event coordination for over twelve years. Her primary role is as Executive Director for the CAI California North Chapter. Rachel is a detail-oriented professional with extensive knowledge of governance, event creation, planning and execution. Prior to 2013, Rachel worked as an Accounting Professional for Ideal Computer Services, Inc., and as the Administrative Assistant to the Board of Directors for the Associated Students Inc. at Sacramento State while attending College. Rachel is a published author and has her BA in Photography with a minor in Journalism. Rachel has two published books on Amazon. She lives with her family in Elk Grove, CA.

 

Rebecca Achurch, PgMP, PMP, CSM, CAE  CIO, Achurch Consulting
Life After Launch. Now What? Tactics to Ensure Success.

Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Achurch Consulting where she aligns the needs of clients’ business and staff with sound management principles and the right technology and processes to support it. A significant portion of her experience was formed while building and managing a team of more than fifteen project managers, business analysts, and developers at the American Chemical Society. Her team implemented more than 35 projects and innovative applications across the organization. Rebecca has won innovation awards for business process redevelopment and membership engagement platforms. Rebecca is the co-founder of Association Gurus, a talent hub for association industry consultants. She is also co-founder of Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC) and serves on the ASAE Technology Council. A sought after contributor and speaker, Rebecca has been cited in the Boston Globe, Associations Now, and other publications.

 

Sarah Sain, CAE, Senior Director, Content Services, Naylor Association Solutions
A Trusted Source: Ethical Considerations for Association Content Curation

Sarah is responsible for the overall strategy, leadership, and development of Naylor's content team. In her 10+ years with Naylor, Sarah has provided editorial consultation and content strategy for associations across an array of industries. Today, she works closely with a select group of Naylor's association partners to elevate their content leadership, increase their member engagement and grow much-needed non-dues revenue. Sarah also serves as writer and managing editor of Association Adviser, Naylor's award-winning flagship media brand that provides thought leadership to the association marketplace. Sarah has a background in newspaper journalism, working for more than a decade as a local news editor and providing compelling content at the community level. She has a journalism degree from the University of Florida. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdsain/.

 

Shaun Rundle, Executive Director, California Peace Officers Association
Leadership Survival Guide

Shaun started with CPOA, which serves more than 27,000 members, in November of 2014 and served as Deputy Director from 2017 to 2021, where he helped re-draw CPOA’s 12 geographic Regions, brought new hot-topic training to the organization’s members, and developed the association’s volunteer leadership. Prior to coming to CPOA, he has held roles with other non-profit organizations, including Junior Achievement of Northern California (JA), the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) and the YMCA. He also developed his career with roles in government affairs. In Southern California, Shaun worked for members of the California State Assembly and United States House of Representatives, serving as their liaison to local law enforcement. Association service runs through his veins, and Shaun continued to volunteer with the YMCA after leaving employment and has been an active with the California Society of Association Executives (CalSAE).

 

Sheri Singer, President, Singer Communications
How I Slayed My Fear of Failure

Celebrating more than 20 years at Singer Communications, Sheri has worked with more than 100 associations both on staff and as a consultant. Before starting her firm, she was a senior executive with top PR agencies including Ketchum PR and was on staff with associations for 12 years. Currently, she is the Ambassador Task Force Leader of ASAE’s Research Foundation’s Development Committee. She was chair of ASAE’s Healthcare Committee (2019), a member of ASAE’s Communications Section Council, and the founder and organizer of Association Xchange, a free, virtual lunch and learn program for association professionals.  She has spoken at national and state association conferences, including CalSAE (2018), written hundreds of articles, and has been interviewed as a communications expert. Her work has been honored with awards from ASAE, PRSA and the Art Directors' Guild.

 

Sue Reimbold, MA, CAE, CEO-Executive Director, International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
A CAE/CEO’s Learnings and Path to IT Effectiveness

Sue loves leading teams and working with boards of non-profit organizations, helping turn their dreams into reality when it comes to fulfilling the organization's mission. She joined CalSAE in 2019 after moving to the Bay Area to serve as CEO-ED of ISAKOS, an international society that advances the skills, education, and networking of orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons around the world. Sue hails from the Chicago area, where from 2013 through 2018, Sue served as Chief Marketing Officer and led membership growth for a pulmonary/critical care medicine society based in the Chicago Area called CHEST. At CHEST, Sue also led an AMS implementation, oversaw IT services, and implemented website and grant application portals while also serving as Executive Director of the CHEST Foundation. Before working in associations, Sue led public relations and marketing efforts for major hospital systems in Indianapolis and in Chicago.

 

Tiffany Martin, CEO and Owner, TKMartin Consulting LLC
Designing Inclusive Workplaces

Tiffany K. Martin is the CEO of TKMartin Consulting LLC. Ms. Martin serves as an Executive Change Strategist and Performance Consultant and holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering. As a thought leader, her expertise is in Operational Strategy and Organizational Change Management, with an emphasis on operational performance, data-informed transformation, diversity and technology-driven projects. Throughout her multi-faceted career, Ms. Martin formerly served for (13) years as a Special Agent, Supervisory Special Agent and Certified Physical Fitness Advisor within the FBI. She has  also served as a Chief Change Officer, Diversity Consultant and Health & Wellness/Performance Coach for various organizations. Ms. Martin provides clients in law enforcement, government, private and non-profit industries with the advisement and strategies needed to successfully achieve operational efficiency, organizational culture change and technology integration. It’s her goal to share her learned and lived knowledge and experiences to help others become better and do better. 

 

Touda Bentatou, Director, Member Engagement & Marketing, California IT in Education (CITE)
Tools & Strategies for Small or Single-Person Marketing Departments

Touda strives to ensure that technologists in education are empowered and have the resources to support students’ learning experiences. She earned her degree in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations from California State University, Fullerton. She began her career in the private sector working in the marketing department for a digital publishing company before moving into education. Prior to being employed with CITE, Touda worked as the IT Analyst at Irvine Unified School District. She began her career at Irvine USD in the IT department as a videographer, and after two years, moved into the IT Analyst role. In this role, she led the IT department's admin team, projects, and developed project management processes and structures. Along with managing projects, she created a staff project management training program, and sat on various project teams to act as a coach and provide guidance for staff leading their own projects.

 

Tracy Petrillo, EdD, CAE, Chief Learning Officer, California Association of School Business Officials
Learning Innovation to Create Non-dues Pathways, Products, and Programs

Tracy is a thought leader in adult learning, digital credentialing, educational technologies, and leadership development. She is a past-Chair of the ASAE CAE Commission, won the 2016 ASAE Professional Performance Award, and was named a Changemaker by MeetingsNet magazine. Tracy’s articles have appeared in CalSAE The Executive and ICE Digest. She speaks nationally to nonprofit, medical and corporate audiences, and advises on educational strategies and technologies. Dr. Petrillo completed a doctorate in educational leadership with a specialization in human resource development in 2015. Her dissertation explored the value of professional credentialing.

 

Trinette Marquis, APR, Executive Director, California School Public Relations Association
10 PR Hacks for Association Leaders

With more than 20 years experience in communications, marketing, and public relations, Trinette, is passionate about organizational relationships. Her work has been recognized by the National School Public Relations Association, the American Association of School Administrators,  the Medical Marketing Association, and the International Association of Business Communicators. She is the Executive Director of the California School Public Relations Association and regularly presents to national audiences on strategic public relations. She is a lecturer at California State University, Sacramento and author of the books, Engaging Data, Smart Strategies for School Communication (2018) and The Communicating Principal (2021).

 

Valerie Grubb, CSP, Keynote Speaker, Author, Executive Coach, Val Grubb and Associates
Mastering the Art of Negotiation

Val helps companies grow their bottom line by elevating employees from tactical thinkers to strategic leaders. With extensive corporate experience including founding the Oxygen channel for Oprah Winfrey and InterActiveCorp for Barry Diller (parent company to Expedia, Home Shopping Network and TicketMaster), and senior leadership roles in NBC Universal and Rolls-Royce, she can translate complex skills such as leadership, inspiring accountability and motivating others into actionable steps that resonate with new managers to senior executives. Valerie is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Executive Coach, and an Everything Disc® and Patrick Lencioni 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team authorized partner and facilitator. Valerie obtained her mechanical engineering degree from Kettering University and her MBA from Indiana University. Val’s book, Clash of the Generations: Managing \the New Workplace Reality (Wiley), helps leaders manage multiple generations in the office.

 

Vanessa Dennison, CAE, CBAP, Owner, Dennison & Associates
7 Easy Steps for a DIY Organizational Assessment

Vanessa, is a Certified Association Executive and Certified Business Analyst Professional. She owns Dennison & Associates, an association consulting firm providing technology selection and implementation services, technology assessments, and organizational assessments.   Vanessa has over 20 years’ experience working with trade and professional associations, both as a staff member and an industry vendor.  She helps organizations implement new technology and business processes, while gently influencing staff toward positive cultural change.  She and her growing team are proud to serve the association industry, and help all types of associations find fresh solutions to their stubborn problems.