ASAE Next Gen Leaders

10/13/2026

10/09/2026

One opportunity can create a ripple effect. 🌊

For Kelsea Watson, receiving the 2024 ASAE NextGen Scholarship meant more than attending her first ASAE Annual Meeting. It opened the door to new connections, conversations with association leaders, and a clearer vision of what her own future in leadership could look like.
Since then, the ripple has continued as Kelsea has grown in confidence, taken on new leadership opportunities, and advanced in her career.

The ASAE NextGen Scholarship provides financial support for young professionals ages 35 and under to attend ASAE in-person events and gain access to valuable networking, professional development, and mentorship opportunities.

Could you be next?

🔗 Learn more: https://link.edgepilot.com/x/T7jaYd_uPKAx2yxCc4_0oic?u=https://foundation.asaecenter.org/scholarship/future-leaders-professional-development-scholarship/

📝 Start your application: https://link.edgepilot.com/x/cl0taFjpPZ25yEEM7UkoJ_k?u=https://asaecenter.secure-platform.com/future-leaders-scholarship

09/15/2026

Chair: Stephanie Bruno, CAE, AAiP steps into the 2026-2027 committee year ready to continue expanding the committee’s initiatives, which align with the ASAEcenter strategic framework. She serves as Director of Association Management Services for Talley Management Group and has been an ASAE member for 10 years.
“ASAE’s 2026 Annual Meeting theme, ‘Driven by Purpose,’ sets the tone for how we’re approaching the 2026-2027 committee year. February’s strategic retreat gave the NextGen Advisory Committee time to solidify years of work into a cohesive framework. Building community, increasing access to mentorship, strengthening our digital culture and presence, and delivering education to advance young professionals is our purpose.
We need your engagement, your support, and your advocacy to bring this framework to life. Please follow along, share your ideas, and help us champion the next generation of association professionals.”

Vice Chair: clara cozy steps into the Vice Chair role. Playing a crucial role in developing the Community Engagement goal during the 2025-2026 committee year, Clara’s background in government relations and strategic communications makes her a strong voice for expanding the committee’s reach and impact as Vice Chair.
“I am so excited to step into the role as Vice Chair for the ASAE Next Gen Committee. I have seen firsthand what this group is capable of, and I know that under Steph Bruno’s leadership as Chair we will continue to amplify and help water the next generation of association professionals. My focus is on turning that support into something intentional, not just opening doors, but actively pointing young professionals toward NextGen and making sure they find a real place to grow. Being early in your career isn’t the same as being unready, and this committee exists to prove that. I’m asking association leaders to do the same: use whatever access you have on someone else’s behalf, and send the next generation our way. We’ll take it from there.”

Immediate Past Chair: Kristen Truong Truong, Deputy Executive Director at the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions, moves into the Immediate Past Chair role after advancing NextGen’s w

09/10/2026

What a week for the future of our profession!
Last week marked the 2026 NextGen Summit, and three of our own NextGen Committee members were part of the experience: Samantha Boyd, CAE, Justin Evans, and Andremarie Jean-Cohen, MBA joined the 2026 Co-Hort as they stepped into three days of connection, growth, and big ideas.

This experience, generously hosted by our sponsors at Experience Columbus, brings together association professionals under 35 from across the industry. Over three days, participants learned from one another, traded stories about navigating the challenges of this profession, and built friendships that will last well beyond the summit. All while soaking up the vibrant (and delicious 🍜) culture of Columbus, OH.

This is exactly what investing in the next generation looks like: creating space for emerging leaders to connect, grow, and imagine what's possible for their careers and our profession.



🙌 Thank you, Experience Columbus, for believing in the future of associations enough to invest in it.
🙌 Thank you, Trevor Mitchell, MBA, FASAE, CAE, CDP, for leading last week's programming with so much passion.
🎉 And congratulations to the entire 2026 NextGen Summit Class — we can't wait to see where you go from here.

09/01/2026

The 2026-2027 Advisory Committee met during the 2026 Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, IN. We spent the morning getting to know one another and mapping out our work plan for the committee year.
This is a group of dedicated association professionals who commit hours each month to supporting the next generation of our profession.
With a new strategic framework and refreshed charge, we're looking to our community for support and engagement. Our charge: elevate, empower, and unite the next generation of association professionals --- championing their growth, amplifying their voice, and building a community where they belong and lead.
We have four pillars guiding our work. Over the next few days, we'll share our strategic framework and highlight the committee members helping advance this work.
Know a rising association professional who should be part of this conversation? Tag them below or point them to Advisory Committee, and give us a follow to stay connected as we roll out our work this year.

08/27/2026

The Advisory Committee established this award to recognize individuals and organizations who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to supporting and advancing the NextGen community.
This year, we're honored to recognize Brown, Senior Manager, Community Engagement at ASAE and staff liaison to the NextGen Advisory Committee.
Calling Shaniece our "staff liaison" barely scratches the surface of what she means to this community. For more than two decades, she has supported ASAE and its volunteer leaders — not from the sidelines, but as an active architect of opportunity.
She connects us with the people who can move our ideas forward. She makes sure our work gets seen. She creates room for NextGen voices in spaces where we may not otherwise have had a seat.
Shaniece doesn't just support the work, she believes in it. She has helped generation after generation of NextGen volunteers turn ideas into action, while giving each new group the freedom to make the committee its own. She brings deep institutional knowledge, paired with a genuine desire to let emerging leaders try something new.
She has been a mentor. An advocate. A sounding board. A connector. And often, the person quietly working behind the scenes to make sure an opportunity existed for us in the first place.
Countless association professionals can trace their careers, confidence, and connections back to Shaniece's influence.
The NextGen Advocate Award exists to recognize people who invest in the leaders who will shape the future of our profession. Shaniece Brown has been doing exactly that for more than 20 years.
Congratulations, Shaniece! This one is so well deserved. 👏

08/24/2026

The NextGen Advisory Committee established the NextGen Advocate Award to recognize individuals and organizations that have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to supporting and advancing the NextGen community.
We spend a lot of time talking about developing the next generation of association leaders, but that doesn't happen on its own. It happens because people choose to mentor, sponsor, advocate for, and create opportunities for emerging leaders. It happens because organizations intentionally make room for new voices and invest in their growth.
We are pleased to highlight one of our inaugural recipients!
The Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE) was nominated because its commitment to NextGen professionals isn't limited to one program or initiative. It is part of the culture the organization has intentionally built.
Through programs like Mentor Match, TSAE connects emerging professionals directly with experienced association executives and CEOs who can provide mentorship, career guidance, and encouragement as they navigate their careers.
Emerging professionals are encouraged to serve on committees, volunteer, participate in educational programming, build relationships with senior leaders, and, most importantly, see themselves as future leaders within our profession.
They have created a culture where younger professionals can walk into a room with experienced executives, ask questions, share ideas, and know that their voices belong there.
Accepting the Award were Steven Stout, FASAE, CAE, Executive Director of TSAE, and Shirley Robinson, CAE, TSAE Board Chair and Executive Director of the Texas Library Association. Congratulations to TSAE!

08/14/2026

NextGen And Friends....Welcome to Indy!🏁

08/14/2026

4 must-attend sessions for NextGen pros at 🏁

(8/16) Sunday, 11:30 am- 12:15 pm
Middle-Out Leadership: Influence and Impact at Every Level of the Organization
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(8/16) Sunday, 1:30 - 2:15 pm
Strategic Planning in Action: Turning Vision into Results at Your Association
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(8/17) Monday, 11:30 am - 12:15 pm
From the Front Office to the Front Lines: Building Powerful CEO–Young Professional Partnerships
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(8/17) Monday, 1:30 0 2:15 pm
Finding Your People: Mentorship and Coaching That Moves Your Career Forward

📍 Room 137

08/14/2026

Join NextGen and other Community Resource Groups for a Town Hall during ASAE Annual. If you're looking for an opportunity to learn more about ASAE and their support of under-represented communities, and how we can be better allies to each other, this is the conversation to be part of. Save your spot and come ready to listen, share, and connect.

The room location for the town hall is 107-110.