Association Leadership Pathway Sessions

Attendees of this pathway were encouraged to read "Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations," by authors Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers before attending the conference.

If you have registered for this pathway, you may now access handouts provided by the speakers.

Sunday, February 5, 2023

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Bus Tour (optional)

Departs from: Mayflower Hotel Desales Street entrance

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. - Opening Reception

Location: State Room

Monday, February 6, 2023

Prior to 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast on Your Own

8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. - Opening Session

Location: Grand Ballroom

Brad Barnett, NASFAA 2022-23 national chair, opens the conference and Justin Draeger, NASFAA president and CEO,  provides the Washington Update. 

9:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Networking Break

Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Idea Lab #1: Association Governance and Board Effectiveness Part 1

Location: East Room
Speaker: Dr. Michela Perrone, president of MMP Associates

Nonprofit boards of directors have an ethical, legal, and fiduciary responsibility to govern their organizations effectively. This session will look at common challenges, clarify essential areas of governance, and discuss how a board and its leadership can govern effectively. Individual board members' legal duties of care, loyalty, and obedience will be discussed in the context of real-life examples. Participants will leave with useful examples of national best practices.

11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - Idea Lab #2: Association Governance and Board Effectiveness Part 2

Location: East Room
Speaker: Dr. Michela Perrone, president of MMP Associates

The success of a board and its meetings depend on the group dynamics; on the members' ability and willingness to collaborate, cooperate, and reach consensus. This session will look at three decision-making processes' theory and best practices. Robert's Rules of Order, the American Bar Association Modern Rules of Order, and Roberta's Rules will be reviewed and discussed. Real-life examples will be shared and participants will be given the opportunity to decide which approach will be best for their board.

12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Lunch on Your Own/Network With Exhibitors

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Idea Lab #3: Strategic Planning for Associations

Location: East Room
Speaker: Dr. Michela Perrone, president of MMP Associates

Successful associations must continue to find relevance among their members. A strategic long-range plan (SLRP) is a source of motivation and insight, built around measurable, mission-connected goals. This session will explore the utilization of a SLRP to remain relevant and provoke thoughtful discussion among board members about strategy. It will outline the critical considerations that must be included in a good strategic planning process: a situational assessment, development of the plan document, and performance evaluation.

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. - Idea Lab #4: The Playbook - NASFAA, States & Regions Collaborating to Succeed

Location: East Room
Speaker: Justin Draeger, NASFAA president and CEO

As we emerge from the pandemic and two years of no in-person meetings, financial aid associations are simultaneously figuring out their "new normal" and exploring and experimenting with new ways to convene. NASFAA pledges to support states and regions because of their deep value in providing professional development and services for financial aid administrators and advocating for public policies that increase student access to and success in postsecondary education for our nation's students. Join us for a discussion of the challenges we all face - reduced participation by federal trainers, bandwidth and capacity challenges - and the ways we can overcome these challenges together.

4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. - Networking Reception

Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer 

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Prior to 8:30 a.m. - Breakfast on Your Own

8:30 a.m.  - 9:30 a.m. - General Session: Department of Education Update on FAFSA Simplification 

Location: Grand Ballroom
Speaker: Melanie Storey, Federal Student Aid

A representative from the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will discuss current happenings at ED with an emphasis on significant upcoming federal methodology and FAFSA changes.

9:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. - Networking Break (Exhibits Open)

Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer 

10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - Idea Lab #5: Road to Relevance: Are We Doing Too Much?

Location: East Room
Speaker: Beth Maglione, Executive Vice President, NASFAA 

Is your association trying to be "everything, to everybody?" Association leaders must be disciplined strategists, focusing the organizations they serve on value they can deliver and structuring accordingly to compete in the "new normal." Together we will discuss how to: identify strengths that deserve a concentration of resources, achieve a coordinated product and service portfolio, and root out marginal or underperforming activities that are negatively impacting your organization. This session will be focused on the book "Road to Relevance" by authors Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers; we ask that attendees read the book prior to attending the conference to facilitate a healthy discussion.

11:30 a.m.  - 1:30 p.m. - Lunch on Your Own/Network With Exhibitors

1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Idea Lab #6: The Value Proposition - What’s Your Worth To Members? 

Location: East Room
Speaker: Brad Barnett, NASFAA National Chair, Associate Vice President for Access and Enrollment Management & Financial Aid Director, James Madison University

In this interactive workshop, we will brainstorm on your organizational niche. What specific value do you bring to your members that no others can provide? What do you do better than your competitors? What products and services do your members rely on? And how can you capitalize on your "value add" to better fulfill your missions and serve your association constituents? Get ready to move around, work within different groups, and talk to your peers about what works - and what doesn’t!

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. - Idea Lab #7: A Future With No Annual Conference…Threat or Opportunity?

Location: East Room
Speakers: Brad Barnett, NASFAA National Chair, Associate Vice President for Access and Enrollment Management & Financial Aid Director, James Madison University, and Dana Kelly, NASFAA Vice President of Professional Development & Institutional Compliance

The annual conference has become standard practice for our associations over the past many decades. But the pandemic threw all our chips up in the air - and we still do not know where they will land. What would you do if you could not offer a conference any longer? How can we think creatively about delivering services, what are the new challenges we all face in hosting live site events and what happens if we do decide to move away from reliance on the traditional conference model for income, professional development, and networking? Bring your creative examples and best practices for delivering service and training to members outside the typical "annual conference" model!

3:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Final Networking Break

Location: Grand Ballroom Foyer 

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Advocacy and You/Preparing for Hill Visits

Location: Grand Ballroom

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Capitol Hill Visits

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Capitol Hill Visit Debrief

Location: Room 1539 of the Longworth House Office Building

If you have registered for this pathway, you may now access handouts provided by the speakers.