Letters.

Inclusive Issues

I want to commend ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT for the level of inclusiveness it has demonstrated over the past six months.

We all know that the association community is diverse and representative of people from a variety of backgrounds. And many of us look forward to increasing the exposure of underrepresented groups. It is simply good business sense. Trends show that our pool of future employees, members, customers, and staff will be from groups that are underrepresented. Organizations that are able to relate to these audiences will build loyalty, have a larger labor pool, and develop a larger member or customer base. They will also have the advantage of fresh new perspectives by working with people from a variety of social, ethnic, and gender backgrounds.

I now see more minority faces and names among your columns such as "CEO to CEO." There are also more women and minorities profiled in feature articles such as "Talk About the Passion" and "The Board Primer" in the January 2002 issue and "Meetings Mean Business" and "Beyond Power Point" in the February 2002 issue. Other minorities have been featured on the cover, including Don I. Tharpe, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Council on Foundations, and Renee Poussaint, CEO of Wisdom Works.

As I work to continue my volunteer efforts, assist in bringing awareness of diverse association professionals to ASAE, and mentor others in the industry, I am proud to provide sample copies to others. This makes the case for promoting ASAE membership easier. As ASAE begins another selection process for its Diversity Executive Leadership Program, applicants will see people who look like them. The inclusiveness of all association professionals is a big step in closing the gap among executives in the industry.

Kim Canavan Jones, CAE, President, Jones International, Silver Spring. Maryland

The Case for Green

We applaud your article "Meetings Go Green" in the March 2002 issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT. As principals of a meeting management firm that consults and trains organizations on how to green their travel and meetings, we feel the move toward sustainability is not just a fashionable trend, it's emerging as a compelling business strategy for the meeting industry. As industry leaders are looking for ways to improve their economic, environmental, and social bottom lines, sustainability as a strategy has proven benefits. And meeting venues embracing sustainability are not only improving their economic bottom line, but are establishing a competitive marketing advantage. Thank you for covering this important trend.

Amy Spatrisano and Nancy J. Wilson, principals of Meeting Strategies Worldwide, Portland, Oregon

For-Profit Subsidaries

I first want to thank Peter Rizik for writing such a fabulous article in the April 2002 issue of ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT on for profit subsidiaries. The board and staff of Oncology Education Services, Inc., a for profit subsidiary of the Oncology Nursing Society, Pittsburgh, can clearly relate to much of what was discussed in the article. As the current executive director of OES and having been involved in the early developmental stages of the subsidiary, which launched in 1996, the best practices are clearly on target.

The article is quite timely, as the parent organization is convening a task force in July to evaluate OES for the purpose of maintaining organizational vitality. We are currently looking to evaluate both our purpose and our relationship to our parent organization.

Again, the article is greatly appreciated.

Michele R. McCorkle, Executive Director, Oncology Education Services, Inc., Pittsburgh