Kristin Bodiford
Principal, Community Strengths

Kristin Bodiford brings 20 years of strategic marketing and communications experience to her work with communities, offering skills and expertise in working with groups of people, organizations, communities and systems to create a positive future. Kristin's background in working with communities using dialogue models and other transformative strategies brings a unique blend of expertise to her work supporting community and systems planning for positive change.

Kristin is Principal of Community Strengths and a leader in OvationNet. Community Strengths helps communities solve complex issues and capture emerging opportunities using transformative theories and practices based upon non-violent social change, dialogue and connection, and collective learning to support our work with communities. Community Strength's partners use strategies that help community members create real change in their communities that work towards meeting everyone's needs.

The goal of OvationNet is to provide consultants, change agents and organizations with leading edge capabilities in Appreciative Inquiry that advance AI practice in the field. OvationNet makes available tools and resources that harness the power of online learning and web community technology in ways that support individual, group, organizational and whole system change processes.

Kristin is the co-creator and host of Creating Aging-Friendly Communities. The Creating Aging-Friendly Communities online community brings together top experts in aging and community development with individuals and organizations working to make their communities more aging-friendly. It also provides a place for people and communities to share their learning, inquire into best practices, and develop innovative solutions to support their efforts.

Kristin is also currently working with America's Promise Alliance, the nation's largest mutli-sector collaborative dedicated to the well-being of children and youth, to create a national Collaborative Action Community to help youth succeed and reduce high school drop out rates. In addition, Kristin provides ongoing support to the Global Summit on Social Responsibility, a large-scale Appreciative Inquiry project developed by ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership and OvationNet that has brought participants in the association sector together from around the world to advance the work of Associations and Social Responsibility.

David Cooperrider, Ph.D.
Appreciative Inquiry creator, Professor,
Case Western Reserve University

David Cooperrider’s interests include the theory and practice of Appreciative Inquiry(AI) as applied to corporate strategy, change leadership, and positive organizational scholarship. In addition, David is pioneering new horizons in the AI Summit method--a large group and network-based approach-- for advancing business innovation and creative design. David’s founding theory in Appreciative Inquiry is creating a positive revolution in the leadership of change, helping companies and communities around the world discover the power of strength-based approaches to planning, empowerment, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. His work is especially vital because of its ability to enable strategic change in systems of very large and complex scale, for example with the US Navy, Hewlett-Packard, Parker Hannifin, McKinsey, the United Nations, Wal-Mart, United Way, and the American Society of Association Executives. His most exciting project was with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter, and thousands of religious leaders of every faith, helping to build the United Religions Initiative which now has over 400 peace-building centers located on every continent.

David's most recent passion is an inquiry into Business as an Agent of World Benefit where he believes that sustainable design has become the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century; where every social and global issue of our day can be viewed as a business opportunity to ignite industry leading eco-innovation, social entrepreneurship, and new sources of value.

David has published 14 books, authored over 50 articles, and has received numerous awards. He and his wife Nancy live in Chagrin Falls and have three children: Daniel at University of Chicago; Matt at Case Western; and Hannah at Miami University of Ohio.

Kristin Clarke, CAE
Writer/Editor/Researcher,
Social Responsibility and Philanthropic Initiatives,
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership

Kristin Clarke has been an award-winning newspaper and magazine journalist and/or editor in Delaware, Massachusetts, Oregon, England, and the DC area since 1981. She began her association career as assistant editor of Outdoor America magazine at the Izaak Walton League of America and left as editor and publications director five years later to become editor and media manager for Fisheries magazine at the American Fisheries Society for six years.

She joined the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE) in December 1999 as a writer and associate/Web editor for Executive Update magazine and a content manager for Executive Update Online. When GWSAE merged with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Kristin became deputy editor to Associations Now magazine, winning many team and individual awards and helping to develop this new publication.

After a six-month sabbatical, Kristin returned in March 2007 specifically to write and research for the Social Responsibility and Philanthropic initiatives in the Knowledge Center of The Center for Association Leadership. She currently develops Web and print content for the Social Responsibility and Philanthropic web sites and other publications of ASAE & The Center, as well as assists with knowledge materials and related events such as the Global Summit for Social Responsibility.

Kristin is a CAE and holds a B.S. degree in journalism and public policymaking from Boston University and a desktop publishing specialist certification from George Washington University. She has served on the national board of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and the local boards of several organizations. She belongs to a number of professional associations and volunteers regularly for a range of causes and community service organizations.

Kristin also is a product reviewer/columnist for Parenting for High Potential, a magazine of the National Association for Gifted Children. While she has been published in dozens of magazines and newsletters, she especially enjoyed her former editorial sidelines as the legislative columnist for an online recreation and conservation news magazine; as a science writer for North American Fisherman magazine, the largest U.S. fishing publication; and as a contributing editor for Association Publishing magazine.

John H. Graham IV, CAE
President and CEO,
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership

John Graham became the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Society of Association Executives August 1, 2003. During the first year of his tenure, ASAE and GWSAE completed an historic merger resulting in a new organization, ASAE and Center for Association Leadership. ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership help associations and association professionals achieve previously unimaginable levels of performance. ASAE & The Center are more than 22,000 association executives and industry partners representing nearly 11,000 organizations, with a budget of $35 million and a staff of 135. Our members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations across the United States and in 50 countries around the globe, as well as provide products and services to the association community.

Before ASAE, he served the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in Alexandria, Virginia for 24 years, the last thirteen as Chief Executive Officer. Prior to becoming CEO, John served the ADA in numerous capacities including Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Affiliate, National Director of Affiliate Development, Associate Executive Vice President for Operations and Deputy Executive Vice President. In his tenure as CEO, ADA quadrupled in size, from $50 million to $200 million in annual revenues and successfully moved from 53 independent, separately incorporated affiliate organizations to one nationwide organization with one staff, one budget and one plan.

Before joining the American Diabetes Association, John served the Boy Scouts of America for nine years. He has a bachelor's degree from Franklin & Marshall College and serves on the Association Committee of 100, US Chamber of Commerce; BBB Wise Giving Alliance Board of Directors; Convention Industry Council Board of Directors and America's Promise Board of Trustee's.

Christopher Laszlo
Visiting Professor,
Case Western Reserve University

Chris Laszlo is the author of The Sustainable Company: How to Create Lasting Value through Social and Environmental Performance published by Island Press in October 2003 (paperback July 2005). A co-founder and partner of Sustainable Value Partners, he has trained thousands of Fortune 500 executives in “sustainability for business advantage” inside companies and at leading business schools around the world. He is a partner of Blu Skye Sustainability, the leading strategy consulting firm.

For nearly ten years, he was an executive at Lafarge S.A., a world leader in materials, holding positions as head of strategy, general manager of a manufacturing subsidiary, and vice president of business development. Prior to Lafarge, he spent five years with Deloitte Touche consulting.

Educated at Swarthmore College, Columbia University, and the University of Paris, Chris earned his PhD in Economics and Management Science. He is currently Visiting Professor at the Case Weatherhead School of Management in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is also Associate Director at the Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit. Since 2002, he has lectured at CEDEP and is a Visiting Scholar at INSEAD's Center for Social Innovation.

Paul Pomerantz, CAE
Executive Vice President,
American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Paul Pomerantz is the Executive Vice President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, based in Arlington Heights, IL (2002 to present). Previously, he was the Executive Director for the Society for Interventional Radiology in Fairfax, VA (1997 to 2002), and for the Clinical Laboratory Management Association (1989 to 1997) in Wayne, PA. Prior to these, Paul served at the executive level with several hospitals in Philadelphia.

Paul is Chairman of The Center for Association Leadership in Washington, D.C., and is a Past President of the American Association of Medical Society Executives in Milwaukee, WI. He speaks and writes frequently on association management topics.

Paul earned his Master of Business Administration degree in health administration from Temple University in 1977.

J. Clarke Price, CAE
President, CEO,
The Ohio Society of CPAs

Clarke Price is President & CEO of The Ohio Society of CPAs. During his 36-year career with OSCPA Clarke has worked in virtually all areas of the operation, including public relations, membership, governmental relations and marketing. He was named CEO in 1990.

Selected by Accounting Today as “one of the 100 most influential people in the accounting profession” on ten occasions, Clarke was also recognized as “a technology superstar” by Accounting Technology magazine in 1999. His work on behalf of the CPA profession has also been recognized by the American Institute of CPAs with the Distinguished Service award.

Clarke is serving as Chairman of the Board of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Board of Directors for the 2008-2009 activity year. He is a former chair of APAC, the political action committee for the association community. His involvement in ASAE includes service as a member of the Board of Directors, the Public Policy Committee, the CEO Advisory Board, the ASAE Foundation Research Committee and chairmanship of the Education Committee. Clarke is an ASAE Fellow and is also a past president of the Ohio Society of Association Executives.

Before joining The Ohio Society of CPAs, Clarke was an Account Executive with a New Jersey advertising agency where he served clients in the resort and sporting goods industries. He served on active duty in the U.S. Army as a Public Information Specialist.

In 2006 The Ohio Society of CPAs was selected as one of nine “remarkable associations” as part of 7 Measures of Success: What Remarkable Associations Do That Others Don't, an extensive study of successful associations conducted by ASAE in consultation with Good to Great author Jim Collins.

Reggie Van Lee
Senior Vice President,
Booz Allen Hamilton

ReggieVan Lee is a Senior Vice President in the McLean, Virginia office of Booz Allen Hamilton where he leads the firm's organization and change capabilities in Global Health Public Sector agencies and leads the Not-For-Profit business.

Reggie's expertise lies in how global organizations can build capabilities to make them resilient to any potential shocks to mission accomplishment and growth. He has worked extensively with private sector, public sector and NGO sector clients in the area of strategic transformation and high performance organizational design. His experiences range from helping health organizations transform to better achieve their mission and goals to co-leading the Urban Enterprise Initiative with the William Jefferson Clinton Foundation in New York City, focused on driving enhanced competitiveness for small businesses in Harlem to driving growth and mission accomplishment in not for-profitorganizations like Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude's Children's Hospital, the American Cancer Society and numerous foundations.

Reggie has co-authored articles on the topic of strategy implementation and developed an innovative and integrated "tool kit" for management with techniques designed to help leaders realize new strategies and institutionalize existing strategies. He has been published in The Journal of Business Strategy and Business Horizons. He has also appeared numerous times on ABC's World News This Morning television program and CNBC. Mr. Van Lee is the recipient of the 2008 Black Engineer of the year Award (BEYA).

Reggie holds BS and MS degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also earned an MBA at the Harvard Business School.

Reggie was named one of the top 25 consultants in the world in Consulting Magazine in 2000 and recognized as one of New York's Finest Philanthropists in 2002. In 2004, he received from New York University their C. Walter Nichols award for outstanding community service as well as the prestigious Spirit of Cabrini award by the Cabrini Mission Foundation. In 2005 he was awarded the Joseph Papp Racial Harmony Award from the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and in 2006 he was awarded the Black Engineer of the Year Pioneer Award.

Christopher Wood
Director of Social Responsibility,
ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership

Christopher Wood currently serves ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership as the director of social responsibility. In this role, Chris, along with iCohere and David Cooperrider, Ph.D., launched ASAE & The Center's Social Responsibility Initiative in 2007, followed by the groundbreaking Global Summit on Social Responsibility in April 2008. The first-of-its-kind Global Summit connected more than 800 ASAE & The Center stakeholders via face-to-face meetings in Washington, DC and 19 connected locations around the world and online to co-create a social responsibility agenda for the future of the association profession.

Previously, Chris directed ASAE & The Center's Nation's Capital Distinguished Speakers Series held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. For 13 seasons the series hosted presidents, prime ministers, Nobel Laureates, media personalities, entertainers, and other celebrities at the top of their field speaking on current events and their leadership roles.

Chris also held other posts with the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, ASAE, and The Center. Chris holds a bachelor's degree from George Mason University and resides with his partner in Alexandria, Virginia.