WASHINGTON— Aligned with ASAE’s strategic focus on workforce development, the ASAE Research Foundation is launching a new Future Leaders Professional Development Scholarship this year that will support the career advancement of young association professionals.
In Fiscal Year 2024, the Future Leaders Professional Development Scholarship will award three deserving recipients with complimentary registration and $3,000 each to cover travel and hotel expenses for any in-person ASAE event. In addition, all scholarship recipients will be matched with experienced association leaders for individual mentoring sessions. The scholarship program is limited to young professionals, defined by ASAE as professionals 35 years old or younger who work at trade or professional associations, philanthropic organizations or association management companies (AMCs). Applicants must also be current members of ASAE.
The Future Leaders Professional Development Scholarship is supported by an initial donation from ASAE President and CEO Michelle Mason, FASAE, CAE. Other founding donors include Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP and Destination Cleveland. The ASAE Research Foundation will be responsible for launching and growing donor support for the new scholarship program.
“Cultivating leadership pathways for talented, ambitious and entrepreneurial-thinking association professionals is a strategic priority for ASAE,” Mason said. “Association management is a community-oriented profession and I want young professionals in our business to feel like they have support, particularly in the early stages of their career development. I’m excited to see this Future Leaders scholarship program activated and look forward to watching our deserving scholarship recipients advance in the industry.”
Scholarship recipients will be selected by a steering & selection committee composed of members of ASAE’s Young Professionals Advisory Committee (YPAC) and a Scholarship & Grant Taskforce member.
“The ASAE Research Foundation’s new Young Professional scholarship is an exciting new resource for ASAE YPs,” said John Losh, director of membership & education at the Electronic Transactions Association and chair of ASAE’s YPAC. “This initiative is more than a fund; it’s a commitment to nurturing the untapped potential within our ASAE community. Aimed at empowering those without professional development opportunities, this scholarship will help more YPs access the wealth of ASAE events, network and resources. We are immensely grateful for the dedication of ASAE’s leadership to support the next generation of association leadership. Now we call upon the entire ASAE community to contribute, ensuring this fund can extend the benefits to a broader spectrum of YPs.”
For more information about the Future Leaders Professional Development Scholarship, visit foundation.asaecenter.org/grants/future-leaders-professional-development-scholarship.
MEDIA CONTACT: Chris Vest, CAE, 202-626-2798, cvest@asaecenter.org
About ASAE
ASAE is a membership organization of more than 48,000 association executives and industry partners. Since it was established 100 years ago, its members have and continue to lead, manage, and work in or partner with organizations in more than a dozen association management disciplines, from executive management to finance to technology. With the support of the ASAE Research 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. Visit ASAE at Welcome to ASAE — American Society of Association Executives (asaecenter.org)
