Blogs

Remembering John R. Waxman

By Milana Katic posted 7 days ago
Community Moment By Chrishelle Thomas-Haynes Association Forum is saddened to share that John R. Waxman, former president of The Sherwood Group and a lifelong association professional, passed away on September 27, 2026. He was 75. John joined Organization Management Systems Inc. (OMSI) in 1986 as an account executive and became its president in 1990. In 1992, he and colleague Greg Schultz purchased the firm and renamed it The Sherwood Group, after Sherwood Forest, the place in a favorite movie “where the good guys hung out.” Liz Freyn joined them as a partner in 1997. Together they built a respected association management company known for integrity, ...

The Men Who Look Fine

By Milana Katic posted Sep 03, 2026
Ashanti Branch has spent more than two decades helping boys and men look beneath the masks they wear. As keynote speaker of the inaugural Man In™: The Men’s Leadership Experience in September , he’ll bring that work into a room full of men association and nonprofit leaders. When Ashanti Branch asks someone how they are doing, “good” is rarely enough. “Tell me what good is so I can understand , ” he sa id . "Some people in [bad] situations say things are good, but they're not." It ' s a small question with a bigger purpose. Too often, “How are you?” is a greeting, not an inquiry. ...

Five Leadership Lessons That Stick

By Jem Senter posted Aug 10, 2026
Community Moment · Leadership By Jodi Talley Senior Director of Marketing and Communications, Turnaround Management Association The best bosses leave more than instructions. They leave behind lessons about trust, confidence, creativity and leadership that can shape how we lead long after we've stopped working together. Looking back at the bosses who made a lasting impact — and drawing on experiences shared by other association professionals — a few leadership lessons stand out. Lesson 01 Treat people like colleagues — regardless of title. Early in her career, Jodi worked for a supervisor named Carla who introduced her in every setting as ...

Member Spotlight: Nikki Palluzzi, CAE

By Jem Senter posted Aug 10, 2026
Community Moment · Member Spotlight By Emily Harris, MBA, CAE Nikki Palluzzi, CAE Senior Director of Membership, Illinois CPA Society Working parents often face the challenge of balancing a career with raising a family. Association Forum member Nikki Palluzzi, CAE, shares what helped her navigate both — and what leaders can do to create workplaces where parents can thrive. What has your path as a working parent been like? Being a working mom has made me a better professional and leader. There's a false narrative that people who become parents — especially mothers — lose focus of their career or step out of the leadership path, but I think that's ...

Offering an Inclusive Workplace for Working Parents

By Jem Senter posted Aug 10, 2026
By Emily Harris, MBA, CAE Working parents should feel valued, not merely accommodated. Creating that environment requires associations to look beyond parental leave and consider how policies, leadership behavior, flexibility, and support show up before and after an employee becomes a parent. Being a working parent is no easy feat. Overnight, your responsibilities shift beyond your career to include raising another human. At the same time, you're learning how to navigate less sleep and establish new routines while feeling like you have to prove you've still “got it.” And while the blending of family and work has become more accepted over the past several ...

AI is Moving Fast. Is Your Association's Governance Keeping Up?

By Jem Senter posted Aug 10, 2026
By Erick Prospero Here is an uncomfortable truth for association leaders: your staff already adopted AI. The only question is whether your governance knows it yet. According to Momentive's 2025 Associations Trends study, AI adoption among association professionals doubled in a single year, reaching 39 percent. Over the same period, the share of associations with an AI policy in place rose from 23 percent to 40 percent. The broader professional world tells the same story. AI usage is moving faster than many organizations' formal governance structures. None of this means AI adoption is bad. It means adoption without structure is the real risk. Why ...

Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE) Becomes Independent Chapter of Association Forum

By Adam Natali posted Nov 20, 2020
CHICAGO (November 19, 2020)— Association Forum and the Illinois Society of Association Executives (ISAE) have worked together for several years and announced a strategic partnership earlier this year. Through a new agreement, ISAE will become an independent chapter of Association Forum. “These are unprecedented times. We’re experiencing three pandemics at once: social, health and economic. This has created financial hardship within our community, requiring deeper partnerships and collaborations to navigate toward a new reality,” says Michelle Mason, president and CEO, Association Forum. She adds, “this agreement with ISAE will provide new benefits to their ...

Build a Successful Sponsorship Program by Talking with Your Sponsors by Dan Kowitz and Bruce Rosenthal

By Adam Natali posted Nov 19, 2020
Association executives grapple with many questions about their corporate sponsorship programs: from what benefits to offer to what fees to charge; from how to determine sponsor renewal anniversary dates to how to structure prospectuses and fulfillment reports. In addition, association executives are wondering about the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on their corporate sponsors and partners. We’ve uncovered a reliable way to find answer these and other questions about your association’s corporate sponsorship program: Ask your corporate sponsors! Here are five things we’ve heard when we’ve interviewed corporate sponsors on behalf of our clients: 1. “The ...

ASSOCIATIONS CAN REAP THE BENEFITS OF NEW SPONSORSHIPS AT VIRTUAL EVENTS – BY BRUCE ROSENTHAL AND CHRIS GLOEDE

By Adam Natali posted Oct 15, 2020
As Chicagoland associations face the challenges of revenue declines from member dues, conference registrations, and expo fees .... one unexpected solution is revenue growth from sponsors at virtual events, according to a recently-released white paper . The New Sponsorship Model for Virtual Events provides a playbook for generating sponsor value through virtual conferences. We combined our expertise in sponsorship development and digital transformation to develop a new event sponsorship approach for this pandemic-changed business environment. Virtual Events are Different Than In-Person Events – in a Good Way For decades, conference sponsorships have featured ...

Election Security Study: More Than Half of Tech Pros Are Less Confident Now Than Before the Pandemic (Article by ISACA)

By Adam Natali posted Sep 16, 2020
ISACA research points to the need for more training and education In the lead-up to the 2020 US elections, the nonpartisan global technology association ISACA surveyed more than 3,000 IT governance, risk, security and audit professionals in the US in January and again in July. Results show that confidence levels in securing the election are low—and declining. While federal, state and local governments continue to harden election infrastructure technical controls and security procedures, 56 percent of respondents are less confident in election security since the pandemic started—signaling the need for greater education of the electorate and training of election ...

Press Release: Association Forum Announces Holiday Showcase Pivots to Virtual in 2020, Taps Northstar Meetings Group as Strategic Production and Marketing Partner

By Adam Natali posted Sep 10, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Association Forum Announces Holiday Showcase Pivots to Virtual in 2020, Taps Northstar Meetings Group as Strategic Production and Marketing Partner Annual Conference, Now in Its 32 nd Year, to Welcome Professionals Virtually from All Areas of Association Management, Dec. 15-16, 2020 SECAUCUS, N.J. and CHICAGO (Sept. 9, 2020) – Association Forum announced today that Holiday Showcase® 2020 , a leading industry event for association professionals, will be produced virtually this year. Scheduled for Dec. 15-16, 2020, and fully committed to its theme – “Connecting the Association Community” – Holiday Showcase® 2020 ...

Press Release: Goodwill TalentBridge partners with Association Forum to provide access to employment resources for Chicagoland business professionals

By Adam Natali posted Aug 05, 2020
Goodwill TalentBridge, a full-service staffing and recruitment firm part of Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago and Association Forum, a member-based organization serving the Chicagoland association industry have come together to help thousands of workers currently facing unemployment. For the past ten years, TalentBridge has been working to find hiring and job placement solutions for companies and individuals ranging from entry level to senior executive positions. Under the new partnership, over 4,000 Forum members will have access to: Targeted job leads in a variety of industries including healthcare, manufacturing, ...

The First Step to A New Beginning- by Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE

By Adam Natali posted Jun 18, 2020
Juneteenth is short for “June Nineteenth” which marks the end of slavery in the United States. It was on June 19, 1865 when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas to take control of the state and to ensure that all enslaved people be freed. This was two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 stating that all enslaved people be freed in the confederate states. The 155-year-old celebration of Juneteenth is also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee day, and Emancipation Day. It grew with more participation from slave descendants as they acknowledged this as their Independence Day and spread to other states. ...

Association Forum partners with ISSA and Global Biorisk Advisory Council to offer online course in combating coronavirus and other biohazards in the workplace

By Adam Natali posted Jun 11, 2020
CHICAGO (June 9, 2020)— Association Forum and ISSA, the worldwide cleaning industry association, have formed a strategic partnership to help Forum members prepare for, respond to and recover from the novel coronavirus and other infectious agents. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ISSA and its Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) division released two new programs to train individuals and accredit facilities, respectively. As part of the partnership, Association Forum will leverage its voice in the Chicagoland area and beyond to promote: The GBAC Fundamentals Online Course, an e-learning course that trains cleaning professionals on infection and contamination ...

Let's All Breathe- by Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE

By Adam Natali posted Jun 04, 2020
"I Can't Breathe" are three words that changed the world. These are the final words spoken by George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. These are the final words heard from Eric Garner, an unarmed black man who died in New York City from excessive force used by law enforcement. These despicable crimes are happening far too often. The black and brown communities cannot breathe until there is a greater level of accountability in addressing the systemic racism in America, and all communities unite for a cure. As a black female, I grieve because these words could have been spoken by my brothers, uncles, cousins and friends. ...

Press Release: Association Forum conducts historic diversity, equity & inclusion research in its Welcoming Environment® study

By Adam Natali posted Jun 03, 2020
CHICAGO (June 1, 2020)— Association Forum has embarked on the next phase of its Welcoming Environment initiative through completion of a national research study to validate practices and assumptions on diversity, equity and inclusion. A Welcoming Environment is part of Association Forum’s core values and defined as the creation of a sense of belonging and connectedness that engages individuals in an authentic manner in which uniqueness is valued, respected and supported through opportunities and interaction. “A Welcoming Environment drives deeper engagement and increased participation within the association community and will ultimately increase revenue and ...

A Message to Our Members

By Adam Natali posted Jun 01, 2020
Dear Association Forum Members, Let's remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." This weekend, we were shaken by the destruction our beautiful City of Chicago experienced. We strongly support freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. We advocate for human rights and equal opportunities for all. We know that positive and collective voices impact change. We ask for hearing, healing and strength to unite our Chicagoland community and other cities across the nation to emerge above this moment in our history. We know that hearing requires ...

Press Release: Association Forum to focus on digital event training as part of a partnership with PCMA

By Adam Natali posted May 28, 2020
CHICAGO (May 28, 2020)— Association Forum and PCMA are pleased to announce an education partnership. With over 7,500 members and a global audience of over 50,000, PCMA is the world’s largest network of business events strategists. Association Forum will leverage its voice in the Chicagoland area and beyond to promote PCMA’s Digital Event Strategist (DES) certification and Digital Events Fast Track course to its members. A unique code will allow Association Forum’s members to purchase the products at the PCMA member rate. “Training in digital events is more relevant now than ever before,” said Michelle Mason, president and CEO of Association Forum. “Our ...

A Sobering, Honest Look at the Virtual Meetings’ Future- By Paul Bergeron

By Adam Natali posted Apr 30, 2020
By Paul Bergeron Here’s a checklist of a few dozen questions and critical things meeting planners and their CEOs might not have considered when looking to plan their first virtual meetings, based on comments from a veteran Assn meeting planner. Caution: There’s not a lot of uplifting points made on this list. Rather, it’s a sober dose of reality. ZOOM FATIGUE Right now, it’s all-aboard for most associations when it comes to holding a virtual meeting now, but what tolerance will your members have for laptop-based communications such as Zoom a month from now, much less in the fall or by year’s end? When does Zoom fatigue set in? It’s only mid-April ...

Three Reasons Why Every Association Must Develop COVID-19 Scenarios of the Future- By Jeff De Cagna

By Adam Natali posted Apr 28, 2020
By Jeff De Cagna FRSA FASAE, Executive Advisor, Foresight First LLC Join Jeff for his webinar, "Developing Your Association's COVID-19 Scenarios of the Future," on Wednesday, May 6 from 2-3:30 p.m. CDT. Please use this link to learn more and to register. The webinar is free for Association Forum members and $39 for non-members. As association decision-makers strive to navigate the most serious disruption of our lifetimes, there is a crucial question they must ask: how can we better understand, anticipate, and prepare for a full range of plausible futures created by the COVID-19 pandemic? The most generative answer is the development of provocative ...