Join in the adventure.

Helen Keller once said, "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." This quote graces a display at The Center for Association Leadership's Marriott Learning Complex in Washington, D.C., and epitomizes the spirit of the organization. The Center was itself a daring adventure, planned and launched by a group of dreamers of the largest ASAE allied society: the former Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE).

Creating a change agent

The hard-working volunteers and staff of GWSAE set out to fundamentally change the association profession by exposing association leaders to new ideas, new ways of working, and perhaps even new philosophies of the world, our place in it, and how we can make it better. In November 2001, we launched The Center and have continually strived to live up to the vision we set forth: to be a catalyst for change within the association community, helping people create better futures for themselves, their organizations, and those they serve.

Though its roots clearly were planted in the Washington, D.C., region, host to the largest concentration of associations in the world, The Center was never meant to be an organization with geographic boundaries. Indeed, in 2003 we entered into a partnership to extend The Center's reach to Europe. Included in the launch was The Center's Web site, www.centeronline.org, where we compiled hundreds of resources that can be accessed from anywhere.

Partnering to increase potential

However, as the fervor of The Center's launch began to calm, the challenges of truly making a difference in the lives of association leaders across the world began to look like what I imagine the Rockies must have to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Fortunately, in June 2004, when ASAE, GWSAE, The Center for Association Leadership, and the ASAE Foundation merged and became two independent but interdependent organizations, the obstacles seemed somehow more surmountable. And while such a lofty vision will perhaps always loom like the Rockies, the merger brought The Center a broader national platform, more tools, and the perspectives of many more people, which will make the journey both more fun and more fruitful.

What does it all mean for the association community? I like to think that our partnership is giving ASAE a renewed sense of spirit and purpose, one that supports our goal to develop--or perhaps to reignite--the passions that some of us may have let smolder. I like the idea of adopting the Starbuck's philosophy of third place: If your loved ones are the first priority in your life, and work is your second, then The Center and ASAE want to be the third.

To do that, we need to offer you the types of opportunities you will value greatly. Can the merger of four organizations accomplish that? We've already demonstrated that we can, with 40 of the 65 first-half-of-2005 programs scheduled either online or outside the D.C. area; two new Great Ideas conferences; and work under way right now to enrich and expand the ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership Annual Meeting experience. But the real answer to increasing the value of membership and participation lies with the leaders in our association community. I am passionate about your success, and I see the same passion in many association professionals and industry partners.

Capturing the spirit to excel

I believe there will come a time when the significance of the role associations continue to play in building our society will be properly noticed, for we achieve so much. Yet, there is so much more we can and will accomplish. This is, after all, the fundamental reason for The Center. We are dedicated to delivering the educational, knowledge, and research resources that will raise the level of association accomplishments by enriching the leadership abilities, knowledge, and experience of those who work for them. And this is true whether you work two blocks from the White House, in a small Idaho town, or in the Hebei province in China. The Center experience is about partnerships--networks and relationships that transcend place. Your spirit, your knowledge, your experience, and your participation will enrich us all so that we can achieve the lofty goals that we have set for ourselves and our community.

SUSAN SARFATI, CAE 

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Susan Sarfati

President and CEO, The Center for Association Leadership and Executive Vice President, ASAE

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