Invest in Your Professional Development
From the Desk of the Executive Director
Do you have a mentor?
Someone who can help get you from point A to point B? If you don’t, I suggest that you get one – or a few! I have several. Some are in the accounting marketing industry and others are not. All of them have helped get me to where I am today. I turn to my mentors when I am wrestling with a decision or when need some honest feedback. Their guidance is invaluable.
Do you attend classes or seminars to enhance your knowledge on a particular subject?
We should never consider ourselves to be too old or too successful or too busy to learn new tricks, especially when the game is accounting marketing and the rules continue to change at lightning speed. I am currently working toward getting my CAE (Certified Association Executive) credential this December. In order to sit for the exam I had to serve for three years as CEO of a qualifying organization, check; be employed by a qualifying organization, check; have a bachelor’s degree or higher, check; and have completed 100 hours of broad based qualifying professional development in the last five years. In order to be the best we can be, we must continue to broaden our understanding, whether it’s by sitting in the classroom or through hands-on experience.
Are you staying abreast of the hot topics and rapid changes occurring in our industry?
AAM continues to develop and feature a variety of resources designed to keep you informed of industry trends, leadership developments and important insight to help empower you find continued success. From the articles written by industry thought leaders on our blog and in our various publications to in-person seminars, like the upcoming AAM on the Road series in New York, Houston and Columbus; we care about professional development and hope that you continue to get as much value from your AAM membership a possible!
I would love to hear what you are doing to invest in your professional development. Are you reading any new and interesting publications? Are there any podcasts tickling your fancy? Would you recommend a webinar or video series? Please share your professional development efforts with me in the comments so I can pool these resources and share them in a future post.
About Lauren Clemmer
Lauren Clemmer is the Executive Director for the Association for Accounting Marketing. Prior to becoming the director, Lauren was an active member, participating in the Membership Satisfaction committee and then as co-chair of Virtual Education which includes AAM High Webinars and Virtual Campfires. In her role as executive director, Lauren works with the with the board president, the executive committee and the board of directors to drive AAM’s vision and strategic plan. Her responsibilities include the general administration of all AAM business, managing vendor and partner relationships, enhancing member engagement and loyalty, and serving as the voice of membership.
Lauren gives back to her community as a member of the Women’s Board for the Boy and Girls Clubs of Cleveland.
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What a Business Development Executive Does
with Danielle Reynolds, Business Development, Manager with Whitley Penn
A business developer’s day involves a myriad of activities from external meetings with business owners and referral partners to scoping calls for initial client connections.