Associations Thrive

Did you know that a loss of smell or taste can be an early indicator of Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s and other dementias? And in an environment where smell and taste disorders are underdiagnosed, underfunded, and often dismissed, how can an association step in to educate patients, influence research, and push for better care?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Pamela Silberman, Co-Founder, Board Member, and Treasurer of the Smell and Taste Association of North America (STANA). Pamela discusses:

• How STANA is the first patient organization in the United States, Canada, and Mexico focused on people living with smell and taste dysfunction.
• The many causes of smell and taste disorders, including congenital conditions, infections, allergies, traumatic brain injuries, sinus issues, aging, and COVID-19.
• How millions of people are affected by smell and taste dysfunction.
• Pamela’s personal journey after permanently losing her sense of smell following a sinus infection, and how that experience led her to help found STANA.
• Why STANA advocates for routine and universal smell and taste testing, both to improve diagnosis and to identify links to other conditions such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other dementias.
• How smell and taste dysfunction can affect mental health, nutrition, safety, social confidence, and overall quality of life.
• How STANA supports patients through education, virtual community, programming, and practical conversations about cooking, nutrition, texture, and adapting to flavor loss.
• How STANA is pushing for more patient-centered research by training patients to serve as research partners, not just research subjects.

References:

• STANA Website

What happens when corporate citizenship is no longer a “nice to have,” but a business imperative under scrutiny? And how can associations help members prove value when the environment turns uncertain?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Andrea Wood, President and CEO of the Association of Corporate Citizenship Professionals (ACCP). Andrea discusses:

• How ACCP serves professionals responsible for corporate social responsibility (CSR), social impact (CSI), and ESG efforts, acting as liaisons between businesses and communities.
• The critical importance of making the business case, linking CSR to employee recruitment, retention, morale, reputation, and financial performance.
• How younger workforce expectations are accelerating demand for meaningful corporate community engagement.
• Why the most effective CSR strategies embrace a shared value approach, simultaneously benefiting the business and the community.
• How ACCP supports members with practical, ready-to-use toolkits and resources so small teams don’t have to “start from scratch.”
• ACCP’s evolving engagement strategy: virtual summits, sold-out in-person conferences, regional meetups, and targeted programming for career stages.
• How ACCP is helping members navigate political and economic scrutiny by doubling down on data, research, and clear communication of impact.
• The role of associations as extensions of staff for under-resourced members who need insights, benchmarking, and peer support.
• Andrea’s leadership approach: listening deeply, staying informed on external trends, and rapidly adapting programming to meet the moment.

References:

• ACCP Website
• Making The Case

How do you rebuild an association that is struggling financially, operationally, and reputationally, and turn it into an organization that members are excited to invest in?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Eric Ellman, President of the National Consumer Reporting Association (NCRA). Eric discusses:

• How NCRA represents mortgage reporting companies and tenant screening companies that provide regulated data to mortgage lenders, landlords, and property managers.
• How NCRA members act as the “go-betweens” of the industry, combining data from credit bureaus and public records to help mortgage lenders and landlords assess risk in housing.
• Why the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is the governing touchstone of the industry and how it functions as a foundational privacy law.
• How trust sits at the center of the consumer reporting ecosystem, from consumers, to data furnishers, to reporting agencies, to end users.
• Why Eric says he is having more fun in this role than at any other point in his career, thanks to culture, trust, and the ability to make a meaningful impact quickly.
• How he inherited an association in significant financial trouble and immediately focused on stabilizing finances, improving communications, revamping branding, and strengthening public policy work.
• How NCRA reimagined its annual conference by rebranding it as Elevate, upgrading the content, creating stronger sponsor value, and building energy around the event experience.
• How Eric personally led sponsor conversations, helped generate record-breaking sponsorship support, and brought in nine new sponsors in roughly 14 months.
• How NCRA asked members for a special assessment, explained the financial situation transparently, and earned overwhelming member support through a compelling vision for the future.
• What’s ahead for NCRA in 2026, including continued growth, stronger advocacy, and Elevate 2026 in New Orleans.

References:

• NCRA Website

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/quiet-flight

License code: KJRRI6GHC7WKCLDT

How do you rebuild an association when you inherit the top job, lose key staff almost immediately, and have to figure everything out in real time? And in a relationship-driven industry like commercial construction, how can an association help members strengthen connections, prove value, and grow even when the staff team is tiny?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Gwyn Donohue, CAE, Executive Director of the American Subcontractors Association Metro Washington (ASAMW). Gwyn discusses:

• How ASAMW represents subcontractors, suppliers, and service providers across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, serving as the “moving parts” behind commercial construction projects.
• How Gwyn came into her first chief staff executive role in July 2025 and quickly found herself running the organization with almost no transition playbook when a longtime staff member left just five weeks into her job.
• How ASAMW relied on highly engaged members and committee chairs to preserve institutional knowledge and keep major programs moving.
• How Gwyn and the team pulled off the organization’s marquee event, the Subby Awards Gala, a 450-person event with a complex awards program and voting process
• How Gwyn modernized ASAMW’s tech operations.
• How ASAMW is growing membership by leaning into LinkedIn, increasing visibility, promoting sponsor recognition, and meeting the construction community where it already is online.
• Why Gwyn made governance a priority.
• What 2026 looks like for ASAMW.

References:

• ASAMW Website
• 62nd Annual Subby Awards Gala

What happens when 50 million people need endocrine care… but there are only about 4,000 practicing endocrinologists to see the complex cases? In an environment where misinformation is everywhere and specialist capacity is limited, how can an association help clinicians and care teams deliver better outcomes at scale without diluting quality?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Johnnie White, CEO of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE). Johnnie discusses:

1. How AACE’s membership is ~6,000 worldwide, with predominantly physicians and a growing “endocrine care team” that includes NPs, PAs, pharmacists, and primary care clinicians.
2. The sobering workforce math: “there’s not enough endocrinologists” for the volume of diabetes (and other endocrine disorders), and why AACE prioritizes educating the broader care team.
3. How members get access to endocrine-specific education, guidelines, publications, and networking with field experts.
4. The strategic shift from “endocrinologists” to “endocrinology” and how a bigger tent supports care delivery while keeping endocrinologists as the clinical leaders who develop guidelines.
5. AACE’s patient-first digital strategy: landing visitors on the patient portal first, then routing clinicians to the healthcare/member portal.
6. How AACE built “patient journeys” (diabetes, thyroid, obesity, and more) to counter misinformation and provide understandable, trustworthy guidance for patients and caregivers.
7. Why AACE’s patient content is heavily used not only by patients but also by clinicians who refer patients to it for education and reinforcement.
8. The organization’s non-traditional education mix, including podcasts as an accessible channel for timely topics, and microlearning with short modules, tracked for continuing education credit.
9. Johnnie’s leadership philosophy, “Mamba Mentality,” is a continuous quest to improve, seek feedback, and empower experts on the team.

References:

1. AACE Website

What does it take for a 100-year-old, campus-based organization to stay relevant in a world of virtual chapters, AI search tools, and shrinking higher education enrollments?

And in an era of time poverty, information overload, and eroding trust, how can associations help young leaders not only serve—but truly thrive?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Bob London, FASAE, CAE, Executive Director of Alpha Phi Omega (APO). Bob discusses:

• How APO develops leadership skills through service on nearly 300 campuses, measuring long-term success by how alumni improve their communities after graduation.
• Why APO focuses exclusively on leadership, fellowship, and service, and how its partnership model with universities differentiates it from other campus organizations.
• How APO has endured for 100 years by attracting students who are committed to improving their communities, regardless of political or cultural turbulence.
• The bold decision to remove “campus-based” from APO’s vision statement, and what that means for the future of the organization.
• Why time is APO’s biggest barrier to membership, and how the organization helps students manage “time poverty.”
• How Bob fosters a culture of calendar control and focused work within his staff, encouraging everyone yo protect their “golden hours.”
• APO’s successful $6.5 million capital campaign, combining cash and planned giving to secure the next 100 years while keeping student membership costs to just $85 for a lifetime.
• Why foresight thinking is now embedded in APO’s board culture, and how scenario exercises and agenda restructuring have shifted the board’s focus toward long-term plausible futures.
• The signals Bob is watching closely: disruption in higher education and the explosion of information overload.

References:

• APO Website

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

https://uppbeat.io/t/paul-yudin/quiet-flight

License code: KJRRI6GHC7WKCLDT

What are the “rugs” that your association keeps tripping over but no one talks about? What if there was a common, accessible language to help your staff and board name and move those obstacles? How can an association help members lead with more heart in a fast-moving, AI-driven world?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Sherry Budziak, Founder and CEO, and Kevin Ordonez, President and Managing Director of OrgSource. Sherry and Kevin discuss:

1. Why they wrote their new book, RUG: How to Move What You’re Tripping Over and Lead with Heart, and how the real-life story of a literal rug in a boardroom inspired it.
2. The H.E.A.R.T. Framework: Humanize, Empower, Ascend, Reimagine, and Transform.
3. How the book offers a practical toolkit with discussion questions and “micro-moves” to help teams identify and address cultural and operational obstacles.
4. Why the rug metaphor is so powerful, creating safe, non-threatening language to name problems.
5. How using “the rug” as a metaphor has allowed teams to have more honest conversations and make real progress.
6. Examples of typical “rugs” in associations: over-reliance on outdated processes, fear of making decisions, board bottlenecks, and member experiences designed for internal convenience.
7. How leaders often misattribute cultural or operational issues to technology alone.
8. The need for associations to reframe how they see AI not just as a tech initiative but as a strategic shift in how work gets done.
9. Why leadership involvement is key to moving the “AI rug” and reimagining what’s possible.
10. OrgSource’s new Mastermind and AI Accelerator groups that help leaders and teams take action on these ideas.

References:

1. .orgSource Website
2. Get the book: Rug: How to Move What You're Tripping Over and Lead with H.E.A.R.T.

What happens when you gather four leaders representing distinct, identity-based association communities? You get a bold conversation about visibility, representation, and creating spaces where people feel they truly belong.

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda sat down with four Association Community Group leaders:

1. Rebecca Achurch, Chair of Association Women Technology Champions (AWTC)
2. Kelli Baxter, Vice President of Black Association Executives (BAE)
3. Carlos Cardenas, President of Association Latinos
4. Diana Lee Tucker, Chair of Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Association Community

They discuss:

1. How each of their organizations was formed out of a need for community and visibility.
2. The power of representation and why identity-specific mentoring matters.
3. Why cultural proximity helps build confidence and unlock leadership potential.
4. Their commitment to allyship and how they've collaborated across groups.
5. The importance of welcoming allies into their communities to foster inclusion.
6. Innovative programs, like peer mentoring and CAE funding, that uplift emerging leaders.
7. Challenges around growth and sustaining energy as founders transition out of leadership.
8. The importance of financial sustainability and succession planning for long-term impact.
9. Their hopes to inspire association CEOs to create similar communities within their industries.
10. Why now is not the time to back away from DEI-focused spaces, despite current headwinds.

References:

1. AWTC Website
2. BAE Website
3. Association Latinos Website
4. AANHPI Association Community Page

How do you keep members engaged when the industry is undergoing constant mergers and acquisitions? How can an association stay flexible, strategic, and still build a sense of community?

In this episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda interviews Leakhena Swett, President of the International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA). Leakhena discusses:

1. What liquid terminals are and how critical they are to the global supply chain, from fuels and chemicals to molasses and palm oil.
2. The diverse membership of ILTA, including 70 terminal members and 300+ supplier members providing everything from drone tech to cleaning services.
3. The constant M&A activity in the industry, and how ILTA mitigates the risk by staying in communication with members and focusing on value.
4. How Leakhena’s background in technology and systems thinking has shaped her strategic approach to leading ILTA.
5. A flexible strategic plan that allows ILTA to pivot quickly, given how fast the industry and regulatory environment are changing.
6. How ILTA is responding to increased demand for in-person engagement by taking committee meetings to member locations.
7. The big changes coming to ILTA’s 2026 annual conference, including CEU accreditation and shorter, more dynamic sessions with organic networking.
8. An intentional move away from rigid session tracks to more inclusive, cross-functional learning.
9. The expansion of roundtable discussions at the conference, supported by a mobile app for gamification and post-event engagement.
10. Why ILTA relocated its HQ from Arlington, VA to downtown DC to better serve its advocacy mission and engage directly with federal agencies.

References:

1. ILTA Website

In this special episode of Associations Thrive, host Joanna Pineda is joined by colleagues from Matrix Group International, Inc.: Dave Hoernig, Vice President of Software Engineering, Jessica Parsley, Director of Project Management, and Alex Pineda, Creative Director. They look back on the trends they’re seeing in the association space. They discuss:

1. How AI dominated 2025, with associations investing heavily in staff training, internal policies, and custom GPTs to boost content production and streamline workflows.
2. The AI tools that helped Matrix Group clients modernize outdated content by converting PDFs to HTML, summarizing large documents, and creating metadata and schema for better discoverability.
3. Why associations wrestled with how much previously gated content to expose for AI indexing, balancing member-only value with public visibility and relevance in AI search results.
4. “About the Industry” storytelling sections of a website becoming a trend, with associations crafting narratives to spotlight the importance of their fields not just to members, but to the public and policymakers.
5. How clients faced tighter budgets in 2025, making incremental updates and data-driven decisions more important than ever.
6. The notable rise of multimedia content, with podcasts and audio read-alouds replacing and supplementing long-form text to meet member preferences and improve accessibility.
7. How personalization is becoming easier with AI and how associations can now deliver customized recommendations for members, modeled after platforms like Netflix or Duolingo.
8. How AI is revolutionizing design and development, with tools that boost creativity, accelerate prototyping, and reduce tedious manual work.
9. How mobile-first and voice-enabled experiences are expected to surge, especially as younger members rely more on phones and smart speakers for web interaction.

References:

1. Matrix Group Website
2. See how TFI tells the story of the industry.
3. We made a few tweaks to the ALDA website in advance of a larger redesign in the future.