WASHINGTON – National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) president and CEO Steve Anderson was installed this week as chair-elect of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and as chair of the ASAE Research Foundation. The volunteer roles begin on September 1, and are anticipated to result in Anderson becoming chair of the ASAE beginning on September 1, 2021.

Steve Anderson

For 100 years, ASAE has served as a leader of progress and innovation in the association industry, with the ultimate goal of making society smarter, better and safer. ASAE is a membership organization of more than 48,000 association executives and industry partners representing 7,400 organizations.

“At the heart of ASAE’s value proposition is the organization’s focus on showing what associations and their members do for communities during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Also at the heart of ASAE’s value is its extraordinary and longstanding work on issues related to social justice, equality, diversity and inclusion. I look forward to continuing to help advance these issues and other issues at a crucial time for our nation, through service to the NACDS membership and to the ASAE membership alike,” Anderson said.

Anderson has held several leadership roles in ASAE throughout his career in association leadership, most recently  secretary-treasurer. Previously, he chaired the organization’s Finance, Public Policy, and Key Industry Associations committees, and its Insurance Commission. In addition to holding the IOM designation from the Institute for Organization Management of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Anderson holds the FASAE and CAE designations conferred by ASAE.

The ASAE board for fiscal  2021 was selected by theLeadership Committee in June and is carefully assembled to be representative of the organization’s membership profile and diversity – including geography, size, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, skill sets and areas of expertise.

New ASAE officers also include chair Stephen J. Caldeira, president and CEO, Household & Commercial Products Association; secretary-treasurer Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, president and CEO, National Institute of Building Sciences; and immediate past chair Patricia V. Blake, FASAE, CAE, CEO, Heart Rhythm Society.

Caldeira addressed more than 13,000 members of the association community on the second day of the ASAE Virtual Annual Meeting, noting the challenges and opportunities facing ASAE in a year when in-person meetings have ground to a halt due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“I am very grateful for the opportunity to serve as your chair and you have my steadfast commitment that ASAE will continue to stay focused on strengthening the value proposition for its members,” Caldeira said. “This is how ASAE will build upon its proud and rich, 100-year legacy—by helping its members to successfully navigate through an increasingly complex public health, political, economic, and social climate in the months and years ahead.”

ASAE priorities for the year ahead include completing and implementing a new strategic plan, creatively helping association leaders grow and connect via a multitude of learning programs and platforms, playing an active role in critical conversations around racial inequality and injustice and pursuing a vigorous advocacy agenda on behalf of the entire association community.

“ASAE has redoubled its advocacy efforts on behalf of associations,” Caldeira said. “We are asking Congress to expand eligibility for the Paycheck Protection Program to (c)(6) associations and reauthorize PPP until at least December 31. We are also asking Congress to pass the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020. This bill would establish a system of shared public and private compensation for business interruption losses and event cancellations resulting from future pandemics or public health emergencies. As associations that depend upon in-person meetings and events we (and our members) need access to this kind of insurance. And we’re advocating for the Skills Renewal Act, which would provide Americans who have been laid-off or furloughed due to COVID-19 a $4,000 tax credit to pursue post-secondary skills training and career development. If amended, Americans could use the credit to pursue and obtain industry certifications and other professional credentials.”