Peter O’Neill is CEO of ASIS International, whose members are security management practitioners, and a former chair of ASAE. One of the goals of ASIS is building global, regional, and local communities and the recent roll-out of its virtual communities was very successful. Peter says one of the common factors of all of the associations he has worked with is that they want to share knowledge and information with one another, especially in the association management profession which makes it a special community.

 

One of the key functions during his year as chair of ASAE was to focus on building community through the diversity and inclusion effort and with younger members. Peter says association executives should absolutely take on as a major responsibility the role of building community, though it is clearly a collaboration with the board. Association execs should realize they are there to be like a sherpa or guide for their associations. Peter has been very fortunate to be able to have developed a community of friends and mentors who have helped him over his career. He acknowledges that there is a two-way street in a profession like association management where it is important to want to gain personally as well as contribute. He says he would not be where he is without the community that he has been fortunate to develop through ASAE.