ASAE prepares for new president.

After 17 years in the top staff position at ASAE, President R. William Taylor, CAE, will retire in August 1998, and the announcement has sparked curiosity among ASAE members about who will succeed the man whose name is synonymous with professional association management.

Taylor does not know at this point who his replacement will be - that choice will be made by a search committee just formed by ASAE Chairman David N. Parker, CAE. Taylor says, however, that he is "anticipating that we will hire an experienced association executive" as opposed to someone from outside the association management profession.

This belief stems from Taylor's ongoing discussions with ASAE's leadership about various aspects of his departure. "In the last two years," he notes, "every time the board has met, we've had break-out sessions to talk about the future of the society and what type of leader the society needs." The last such session focused on the desired attributes of the new president. Taylor reports that the board members considered the pros and cons of hiring a former congressman, but decided that their preference would be an individual with a strong background in education and public policy issues. "Even though they would like to hire someone with previous oversight of government affairs," Taylor explains, "it doesn't have to be somebody who has worked on the Hill."

The point of all this planning with the board is to ensure that the directors have input into the succession process before the new committee begins its search. The name of a prospective new president is scheduled to go before the board for approval this spring.

ASAE's current plan calls for a new chief staff executive to take office in August 1998, with no follow-up role by Taylor. If the new president comes from outside the association community, ASAE has a number two executive to assist in the transition, so no overlap with Taylor is needed.

Taylor believes that, no matter who is chosen, the transition between staff leaders will be smooth. "The president has a great impact on the society," he acknowledges, "but the impact should not be so great that a new president changes the society drastically. Hopefully, he or she will listen to what the volunteer leadership wants, rather than try to establish his or her own agenda."

The situation would be different, Taylor continues, "if ASAE was in bad shape and we were looking for someone to come in and turn things around; but, by and large, the leadership feels that we are going in the right direction, we're healthy financially, we're serving our members well, and we're growing, so there's no reason for major change. I believe that the strategic plan won't change drastically, and while the new person will offer innovative ideas that over time will make a difference, I certainly expect no abrupt change right away."