Leadership inside a professional community rarely looks like leadership on an organizational chart. It’s quieter, more relational, shaped by volunteers who balance full workloads with the desire to support their peers. In this episode, recorded live at EACUBO 2025, Howard Teibel talks with Romayne Botti and Sara Thorndike about the transition from one chair to the next and what it reveals about how the association continues to adapt.

Romayne describes a period marked by post-pandemic uncertainty: members juggling expanded responsibilities, vacancies that never got refilled, and a growing appetite for learning that happens in shorter bursts rather than at multi-day workshops. Sara reflects on the importance of saying yes—and the equally important discipline of saying no—while recognizing how opportunities inside the association helped her find her footing as a leader. Both speak candidly about the connections they’ve built through EACUBO, the decisions that have reshaped how professional development is delivered, and the need for flexibility as the industry recalibrates.

Howard guides the conversation toward the deeper value of this work: the ability to learn from peers, to test leadership instincts in a supportive environment, and to experience the kind of candor that is often hard to find inside one’s own institution. The result is a conversation about continuity and change, and about the sustained effort required to steward a community through evolving expectations while staying rooted in its purpose.