WASHINGTON — Before the official opening of the 2014 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 9-12, in Nashville, the ASAE Board approved a new accommodation policy and a new Diversity + Inclusion (D+I) strategic plan. The board also discussed ASAE’s international strategy and passed the budget that includes Fiscal Year 2015 (FY 15) Program of Work and specific projects in all areas of ASAE and the ASAE Foundation.

ASAE introduced an accessibility and meetings policy and procedures that addresses access services relating to visual impairment, mobility constraints, hearing impairment, housing and transportation, and food allergies. For more details, visit www.asaecenter.org/access.

“After hearing the updates of the various initiatives ASAE is working on, the board continues to be very pleased. The new accessibility and meetings policy serves as a guide for our organizations. With ASAE’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, it strives to develop unique programs and ideas that will benefit the community and its members,” said ASAE Chair Arlene Pietranton, PhD, FASAE, CAE, Chief Executive Officer of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

ASAE developed a new D+I strategic plan for 2015-17 that outlines specific goals and milestones including: creating a strategy to increase diversity within the CEO and volunteer leadership pipelines, developing an outreach plan and approach to increase ASAE membership with identity-specific organizations, and a new D+I awards program.

“ASAE continues to be a leader in developing innovative projects that helps members while staying abreast of policy issues that will impact the community. It advocates and works hard to inform policymakers, business and industry, and outside communities on how these initiatives will impact the global community,” said Susan K. Neely, CAE, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, who will become Chair of the ASAE Board.

The board approved the Plan of Work and related budget for FY 15 including: Great Ideas Asia Pacific, Association Global Management Series, and Essential Practices in Meetings Management. The board also received updates from the ASAE Foundation and ABSI.

ASAE is expanding its Great Ideas Conference internationally, March 22-24, 2015, in Hong Kong, and it will bring together 150-200 association executives from around the Asia-Pacific region.

The outgoing chair of ASAE, Arlene Pietranton, PhD, FASAE, CAE, the incoming chair Susan K. Neely, CAE, and ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE, are available for interviews.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sabrina Kidwai, APR, CAE, skidwai@asaecenter.org, 202-326-9505.

About ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.