Patricia Blake, FASAE, CAE

Chief Executive Officer – Heart Rhythm Society
ASAE Fellows Chair

As the HRS CEO, Ms. Blake leads the 8,500 member professional society in its goal to end death and suffering due to heart rhythm disorders. Ms. Blake joined HRS in March 2019. She will retire at the end of 2025 and will continue to serve the association community in a professional consulting capacity.

Pat has served as the CEO for three medical associations and her deep understanding of organizational culture has enabled her to build and grow each organization she has served. Her strong belief in collaboration, diversity and inclusion, volunteer relationships and patient focus has served as a cornerstone of her leadership.

Ms. Blake served as Chair of the American Society of Association Executive’s (ASAE) Board from 2019-2020 and was named an ASAE Fellow in 2013. She is past Chair of the Association Forum of Chicago and the 2014-15 Shapiro Award recipient, for Chief Staff Executive Achievement. Pat was named the 2022 recipient of the Association for Leadership Award for the Professional Society CEO.

Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE, AAiP

Chief Executive Officer – Avenue M Group
ASAE Fellows Vice Chair

As founder and CEO of Avenue M Group, Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE, AAiP, has helped more than 300 associations tackle their most challenging issues. An association executive, researcher, and strategist with more than 25 years of experience, Sheri helps associations grow, innovate, and make smarter decisions through market research, financial modeling, and strategy.

Sheri has served on the ASAE Board of Directors and the ASAE Foundation Board of Directors, chaired the ASAE Foundation Development Committee and ASAE Membership Council, and served on the Marketing Council and Professional Development Committee.

A bestselling author, Sheri’s latest book, The Unexpected Power of Boundaries, explores how the right constraints can spark innovation, strengthen leadership, and help organizations move bold ideas forward. She is also the author of Pivot Point and The Art of Membership, co-editor and contributor to ASAE’s bestselling Membership Essentials, and author of ASAE’s 199 Ideas: Powerful Marketing Tactics That Sell.

An internationally experienced keynote speaker and TEDx speaker, Sheri has presented at more than 350 conferences and events. Her keynotes combine original research, practical frameworks, association insights, and stories and images from her travels as an award-winning wildlife photographer who has visited all seven continents.

Sheri is the 30th recipient of ASAE’s Academy of Leaders Award, ASAE’s highest honor for industry partners who have demonstrated exemplary support of ASAE and the association community. She also received Association Forum’s John C. Thiel Distinguished Service Award for her outstanding service to the association profession.

Lou DiGioia, FASAE, CAE

Chief Operating Officer – Cinema United
ASAE Fellows Immediate Past-Chair

A recognized leader in the nonprofit/association community, Lou DiGioia currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Cinema United – the trade association for movie theatres. Cinema United is the largest exhibition trade association in the world, representing over 35,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and additional cinemas in over 80 countries worldwide. Hired in 2022, he oversees the association’s operations, including areas such as membership, finance, information technology, human resources and program implementation.

DiGioia has a long history of leadership in national nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining NATO, DiGioia served as the Chief Operating Officer at the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to ending colon and rectal cancers. Before that, he served as the Executive Director of educational nonprofits such as the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) and the MATHCOUNTS Foundation. During his tenure at MATHCOUNTS, he greatly increased the number and diversity of US middle school students engaged in extracurricular math through the creation of The National Math Club®, a program which builds student enthusiasm for math by providing schools with free resources to hold afterschool math clubs. Since its inception, over millions of students have taken part in this program. Prior to his time at MATHCOUNTS, he served in leadership positions at the civic education nonprofit Presidential Classroom.

DiGioia has served in numerous volunteer roles with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and is a frequent speaker at their conferences on topics relating to nonprofit operations. He is an active mentor for both the ASAE ReadyMe and DELP and has worked with many aspiring association professionals. He earned the Certified Association Executive credential in 2008 and was recognized with one of the profession's highest honors by being inducted as an ASAE Fellow in 2019. DiGioia holds a BA from Georgetown University, an MBA from George Mason University, and a certificate in Performance Measurement of Nonprofit Organizations from Harvard Business School. He resides in Virginia with his wife and son.