Association U
Last month I started working for a center within a university that has its own membership. I am essentially serving as the executive director of an association within a university. To me, it's the last frontier structure-wise to experience before I feel I can say with confidence that I've tried them all:
- Standalone international professional association with niche components
- Standalone national trade association that houses international professional associations
- Standalone startup for professionals
- Standalone affiliate trade organization
- Professional association chapter within an Association Management Company
- National trade association within a university
- Solo Consulting
- Cohort Consulting & Teaching
Being here is taking some getting used to (thought it would "feel" like the ABA, which is how the AHA felt. It does not). The last few times I worked for a university, I had been a student first, so I knew the campus and the people. Today, I don't have that or a roadmap for the structure. Also, the logistics are challenging (we aren't "student facing" yet I've been told we should be on campus 3x or more/week and even though it is less than 20 miles away, it has taken up to 1.75 hours one way thanks to traffic).
So I'm still acclimating. I am excited that it may open a door to go back to formal education (just one set of letters left for me to put behind my name!) and may also help me enter Act III: Scene I (The Kids' College Years) with some plan for them.
What's crazy is that I'm again coming full circle on things I did early in my career that matter:
I looked at the list of members and I noticed one is 100+ year old organization that creates matting for pictures. One of my jobs in high school and college was temping, so I got to spend a few of my breaks with that company personally as an interim receptionist. I did that role for other companies as well. It is a great way to learn about working in an office setting and appreciate what's similar (and not!) so you can more quickly contribute on future assignments and have something to compare to.
I'm also finding the synergies in my network. Today I realize that one of our sponsors will connect a lawyer who used to volunteer with me to our members. How wonderful to have that person contributing to a group I run.
As we gear up for 2023, I hope there are many more cool "circle backs" that come to life. A group I helped for most of the year offered many in 2022. I really enjoyed engaging with that group and wished they'd be open to more (challenging national "value add", shifting to quarterly board meetings while encouraging more regular committee meetings, creating trackers that are on point, etc.).
Finally, to toast to the synergies in my network and background in multiple areas, I choose "interdisciplinary" as the key word of the year. Having an appreciation of why we need multiple perspectives and how to orchestrate them allows us to not only see issues from different vantage points but also create new levels of ideas. Can't wait to engage with other professionals to elevate this group!
Happy Holidays.
