Florida Society of Association Executives

Attention Association Thought Leaders: FSAE is seeking speakers for all 2025 events! If you can help association executives move into the next era of #associationmanagement through interactive discussions, audience engagement and meaningful #professionaldevelopment, we want to hear from you! Submit your presentation(s) by Friday, October 18, 2024! https://lnkd.in/eKEEcer

The Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) has kicked off its new fiscal year and I’m excited about its historic new leadership team under the direction of President Julie Frey, APR, CPRC and President-Elect Lindsay Hudock, APR, CPRC! They are exceptional leaders. FPRA makes history with this year’s Executive Committee. Lindsay is the first Millennial to become president-elect, and this is the most diverse Executive Committee I have seen in my two decades with the organization. It’s a significant milestone for an association that has been intentional about focusing on inclusive leadership for the last four years. Volunteer-led organizations sometimes struggle to maintain consistent strategies over multiple years, but FPRA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work has yielded strong results on its leadership team. This would not have been possible without the courageous leadership of past presidents Alyson Sologaistoa, APR, CPRC and Devon Chestnut, APR, CPRC. Alyson launched FPRA’s DEI Task Force in 2020 and Devon evolved it by strengthening the Association’s social media content. The Task Force, which became a permanent committee led by a vice president of DEI – including Madelene Skinner, APR, Jenny Tomes, APR and Melissa DiMaria - conducted extensive research, helped hire a DEI consulting team, developed a long-term DEI plan and continues to shepherd the strategies in that plan. We launched the DEI plan with the research-driven #YouBelongatFPRA initiative in 2022 at the beginning of my year as president. Our message was simple - regardless of your race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or disability, You Belong at FPRA! Our long-term vision was that “FPRA leadership will reflect the demographics of the state of Florida and the diverse communities that its chapters represent.” The State Board updated the Association’s Nominating Committee procedures to include, “The committee should strive to present a slate of nominees who reflect the demographics of the state of Florida and the diverse communities that its chapters represent.” I’m grateful to this year’s Nominating Committee – the first one since that change was made – for taking that guideline to heart. Association management experts at organizations like the Florida Society of Association Executives and ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership have embraced these best practices because research shows that high-performing associations have a diverse membership and diverse leadership teams. An effective organization’s focus on inclusive leadership never ends, but it’s wonderful to see the progress FPRA has made in this area. Thanks to everyone across the Association who worked hard to make this happen and congratulations to Julie, Lindsay and the entire Executive Committee as they kick off an exciting new year!