I’m sure you’ve experienced it. You’re at a gathering of some sort (a Society social [1] perhaps?) when someone announces, “Welp, I have to get going” – and they’re still talking 45 minutes later. [2]
This is my official “Welp, I have to get going.”
I’ve had the pleasure of serving as your Executive Director for the past 10 years, and it’s been the best gig I’ve ever had. But it really is time for me to get going, so I will be retiring at the end of this fiscal year (August 31).
This “welp” has been in the works for a while. I told our Board of Directors back in the summer of 2019 that I planned to retire this year. Since that time, we’ve diligently worked our way through the succession planning process, examining where we’ve been, where we want to be, and how we plan to get there. We’re now at the final step in the process – finding and onboarding our next Executive Director.
This last point is why I wanted to start saying goodbye now and shift the focus to where it needs to be – on the future. The Board has formed a search committee and posted the opening in several places (see and share our LinkedIn post). Our goal is to have the new Executive Director in place and ready to go before I walk out the door. So, please engage with your network and tell us if you know of someone who might be a good fit for this opportunity.
Plus, there’s one more thing I’m asking you to do:
Get re-engaged.
This Society has done some amazing things in our 70-year history, and there are plenty of amazing things yet to do. And that takes people like you.
We’re finally able to start meeting in person again, and we need to continue that trend. So, please participate. Register and show up. Volunteer for something. Network. Do whatever you can to re-engage with one of the most extraordinary communities on the planet, and make it even better.
Welp, that’s all for now; more to follow.
Mark Salter, CAE, ABC
Executive Director
[1] Speaking of socials, join us at our Putting Investors First event (it’s free, by the way) in Saint Paul on Thursday 4/14 and stick around for the April Society Social!
[2] The “Midwestern goodbye” is a real thing with 9 identifiable stages to this process – check it out and see how many you recognize!