GSAE President Announcement, 12-23-2024

After 20 years of exceptional service as President of Georgia Society of Association Executives (GSAE), Wendy W. Kavanagh, CAE will be stepping down from her role, effective February 28, 2025.
 
We are extremely grateful for Wendy’s contributions to the Society and wish her every success in her next chapter. We look forward to identifying a successor who will build upon the Society’s past achievements and lead us into a thriving future serving the association management and supplier community in the Southeast.
 
During Wendy’s tenure, GSAE has focused on providing the benefits, services, and resources to help GSAE members be better at their jobs and to strengthen the Society’s nurturing and supportive culture, including these highlights:
  • Twenty successful GSAE Annual Meetings, from the Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama coasts up to Nashville, Asheville, and Greenville, and all the wonderful cities in between
  • Thousands of hours of education in person, on Zoom, and through recorded webinars
  • Numerous benchmarking resources – the Buyers’ Guide, Meetings & Purchasing Reports, Compensation & Benefits Studies, Pulse Surveys, plus the latest AI Usage Survey
  • Thriving Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) that offer exceptional peer to peer learning
  • Leadership Retreats with nationally regarded consultants and speakers
  • GSAE’s 90th Anniversary in 2007, introducing the 90 Movers & Shakers
  • The Supplier Council formation in 2007 (and all the innovative programs that have resulted)
  • GSAE’s Leadership Academy in 2008-09
  • The updated logos and branding campaign in 2010
  • GSAE’s 100th Anniversary in 2017 with our GSAE Superlatives
  • COVID-19 community resources, including modeling how to have safe and effective in person meetings
  • An inclusive and supportive community of professionals across the Southeast that nurtures our emerging professionals and inspires our experienced members

Thank you to Wendy for her service to the Society and our community!
 
The GSAE Board of Directors will share plans for the executive transition in January. Please reach out to gsaesearch "at" gmail.com with any questions in the meantime.
 
Thank you,
Amy Kane, CAE, MBA
2024 GSAE Chair, Board of Directors

Message from Wendy:
It’s been an absolute joy and privilege to serve as President of GSAE. I appreciate the opportunity to be one of the many, many stewards of what makes this Society and community special. I know the future holds great things, and I appreciate y’all’s support of Corrin, me, and our fabulous leadership as we navigate the transition. Although it will be deeply weird at first, I look forward to contributing as a GSAE member when I take the role of President/CEO, National Protein & Food Distributors Association (NPFDA), in March. Y’all are all smart, pretty, and loved. Thank you for everything. - Wen