On February 22nd, men and women representing associations and vendors of every size and industry gathered at the Goodwood Carriage House in Tallahassee for FSAE’s Women’s Summit. The summit, designed to “strengthen women leaders in association management” featured numerous inspiring speakers, including ASAE President/CEO, Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE, Step into Your Moxie Founder & President, Alexia Vernon, and speaker and author Dr. Stevie Dawn.
Among the 90+ association professionals in attendance at this meeting, AMC Source Association Executive, Laura Caputo, J.D. returned with numerous insightful perspectives to share with our entire team. Laura was especially impacted by the Women in Leadership Power Panel, which featured “Insightful Perspectives from Women CEOs.” The panel was moderated by the FL Dental Association’s Carrie Millar, MBA, CAE and comprised of women leaders inside and outside the association industry, including:
Teri Carden; Founder, 100Reviews
Melea Guilbault; CEO, Map D - A Division of NextechAR Solutions
Eleanor Warmack, CPRP, CAE; CEO, FL Recreation and Park Association
Shelly Weir; President & CEO, FL Institute of Certified Public Accountants
Laura shared two stories, in particular, from the panel that inspired her:
“Shelly Weir is tall. Curiously, while preparing for a meeting in the oval office, her former CEO approached her with some advice. She said, ‘Put your highest heels on and put on your brightest color dress.’ The rationale was that people remember what is different about you, so you should embrace it. Her CEO was right! Shelly stood out in every picture taken of the meeting and the President walked past all of the men in dark suits to speak with her.”
“Teri Carden recounted being on her first work trip early in her association career and a lesson she learned at lunch at a P.F. Chang's. She was dining with her colleagues and couldn't make up her mind on what to order from the giant menu. Her friend pushed the menu down, looked at her and said, ‘Pick dammit, it's not your last meal.’ While this was a seemingly unimportant interaction, Teri still thinks about this when faced with tough decisions with many options. She urges that we simply make a choice because there will always be another choice to follow.”
Attending FSAE’s Women’s Summit is just one example of AMC Source’s continual commitment to ongoing education, professional development, and diversity. In her opening keynote, ASAE CEO & President, Michelle Mason, quoted Susan Sarfati, FASAE, CAE, ASAE Past CEO & President, saying, “You must find your leadership voice and purpose.” This Women's History Month, AMC Source congratulates and appreciates FSAE for helping women across the association community find their leadership voice and their purpose.
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