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CESSE The professional home for STEM society CEOs, Executive Directors, and Staff CESSE's greatest resource is its members' wisdom and experience.

Engineering and scientific societies play a crucial role in the development of the professions that are key to advancing innovation. The Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives (CESSE), incorporated in 1977, is a professional society of chief executive officers and mid- to senior-level staff members dedicated to leadership excellence. CESSE offers its members a forum for exchanging information about their experiences and a venue for addressing the problems, challenges, and opportunities they face in operating their societies. CESSE members are known - some are even notorious - for their willingness to share their knowledge with colleagues. OUR MISSION
CESSE provides leadership development through networking, education, and the sharing of best practices for the professional leaders of science, technology, engineering, and math societies. OUR VISION
Transforming the future through science, technology, engineering, and math leadership.

10/21/2026

What makes the CESSE CEO Meeting a must-attend for STEM society leaders?

Hear directly from Scott Grayson, CAE, CEO of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and 2027 CEO Meeting Co-Chair, as he shares his invitation to join us in Savannah.

📍 Savannah, GA
📅 January 24–27, 2027
🔗 Register: www.cesse.org/ceo-meeting

Register by December 7 to save $100 with early bird pricing.

10/15/2026

POV: You’re back with your STEM Society CEO community. 💡

Great conversations. Fresh perspectives. Time with peers who understand the opportunities and challenges of leading a STEM organization.

The 2027 CESSE CEO Meeting is headed back to Savannah, and we’re already looking forward to bringing this community together again.

Register by December 7 and Save $100.

Already registered? Share this post along with what you're looking to takeaway from this year's meeting!

Projects in associations rarely happen in isolation. Success requires coordinating people and priorities, building reali...
10/08/2026

Projects in associations rarely happen in isolation. Success requires coordinating people and priorities, building realistic plans, communicating effectively, and engaging volunteers along the way.

CESSE's Project & Volunteer Management for Associations course approaches project management specifically through the association lens, pairing foundational project management practices with strategies for volunteer leadership and collaboration.

One of the instructors guiding the December session is Erik Hankin, PMP, Director of the Center for Professional Excellence at the Geological Society of America. Erik brings more than a decade of experience planning and executing scientific programs and advancing strategies for Earth and space science talent pool development. Previously, he served as Executive Program Manager for AGU's Centennial Strategic Initiative, where he launched and managed its suite of programming, including the Centennial Grants Program, which received an ASAE Power of A Summit Award in 2020.

Join Erik for an interactive course designed to help association professionals strengthen their approach to project planning, timelines, communication, collaboration, volunteer management, and real-world project challenges.

🔺 December 2–3 | 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET
🔺 Earn 8 CAE credits
🔺 Register Today: www.CESSE.org/Project-and-Volunteer-Management-Course

Whether you’re new to associations or looking to strengthen your understanding of how they operate, Association Basics p...
10/02/2026

Whether you’re new to associations or looking to strengthen your understanding of how they operate, Association Basics provides foundational training specifically designed for professionals working in or alongside scientific, technology, engineering, and mathematical societies.

One of the experienced association leaders guiding the November course is Frank Krause, MBA, CAE. Frank brings more than 25 years of experience managing professional societies. He previously served as Executive Director and CEO of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) and COO of the American Geophysical Union, where he led strategic transformations across publishing, meetings, technology, culture, and international growth. His experience also includes leadership roles with the American Medical Association and in the for-profit sector.

Join Frank and fellow association professionals for a two-day interactive session covering governance, membership, programs and services, volunteer engagement, balancing mission and margin, and other fundamentals of association management.

🔺 November 17–18 | 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET
🔺 Earn 8 CAE credits
🔺 Register for Association Basics: www.CESSE.org/Association-Basics-Course

Managing projects in an association or nonprofit means navigating more than timelines and deliverables. It also means ba...
09/30/2026

Managing projects in an association or nonprofit means navigating more than timelines and deliverables. It also means balancing mission-driven priorities, collaborating with volunteers, coordinating stakeholders, and keeping work moving forward.

CESSE's newest course, Project & Volunteer Management for Associations, brings those realities together, combining fundamental project management principles with practical strategies for effectively working with association volunteers.

Co-leading the December course is Andrea Elkin, PMP, Director of Business Systems at the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). With more than 15 years of association experience, Andrea's background spans communications, events, project management, business systems, and governance. At CLARB, she provides strategic oversight and leadership for the Project Management Office, IT business systems, and volunteer management while helping align projects and operational solutions with organizational priorities.

Through interactive sessions, breakout groups, and applied activities, participants will explore project planning and timelines, people and volunteer management, communication and collaboration tools, and strategies for common nonprofit project management challenges.

🔺 December 2–3 | 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET
🔺 Earn 8 CAE credits
🔺 Register Today: www.CESSE.org/Project-and-Volunteer-Management-Course

Where can CEOs and Executive Directors connect and candidly discuss the future of STEM societies?Designed by CEOs, for C...
09/30/2026

Where can CEOs and Executive Directors connect and candidly discuss the future of STEM societies?

Designed by CEOs, for CEOs, the CESSE CEO Meeting brings STEM society chief executives together to exchange experiences, explore the challenges and opportunities shaping their organizations, and build meaningful connections with peers who understand their work.

Registration is now open for 2027! Join us this January in Savannah for the conversations and strategic insights that make this meeting unlike any other in the association space.

Register by December 7 to save $100. 🔗 www.CESSE.org/CEO-Meeting-Attendee-Registration

STEM society board members are often experts at digging into the details. But when operational discussions dominate the ...
09/28/2026

STEM society board members are often experts at digging into the details. But when operational discussions dominate the boardroom, how can CEOs help shift the conversation toward strategy and the bigger picture?

Join CESSE for Telescopes, Not Microscopes: Moving Your Board Away from Operational Details, an interactive webinar focused on practical ways CEOs can help their boards stay on the horizon rather than getting stuck in the weeds.

Leading the conversation is Jonathan Adams, MBA, CAE, AAiP, Senior Consultant at AMC Consulting (Association Management Center). Jonathan works with boards and executive teams on strategic planning, board development, organizational alignment, and AI strategy. Before joining AMC, he spent a decade at the Water Quality Association, most recently as VP of Innovation, bringing a practitioner's perspective to the board dynamics he now advises on.

During the webinar, Jonathan will explore practical levers including agenda architecture, board packet design, the chair partnership, and meeting norms, helping attendees identify what they can change themselves and what requires collaboration with their board chair or a governance change.

🔺 Tuesday, October 6 | 2–3 p.m. ET
🔺 Earn 1 CAE credit
🔺 Register Today: https://ow.ly/Y2k350ZRw2J

Working in an association comes with its own unique landscape, from volunteer governance and membership structures to ba...
09/25/2026

Working in an association comes with its own unique landscape, from volunteer governance and membership structures to balancing mission and margin. The CESSE course, Association Basics, helps professionals and partners understand that landscape and build practical knowledge they can apply in their roles.

Co-leading the November session is Matt Miller, Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). Matt brings extensive association leadership experience, having previously served as Executive Director & CEO at the American Welding Society, Chief Operating Officer for NACE International, and Director of the SAE Foundation and Pre-Professional Programs at SAE International. He is also a former member of the CESSE Board of Directors.

During this two-day virtual course, participants will explore the purpose and structure of associations, governance, membership, programs and services, volunteer engagement, and more through interactive discussions and activities.

🔺 November 17–18 | 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m. ET
🔺 Earn 8 CAE credits
🔺 Register for Association Basics: www.CESSE.org/Association-Basics-Course

A meeting can do more than share knowledge. It can spark the connection that leads to the next major innovation.Toronto’...
09/23/2026

A meeting can do more than share knowledge. It can spark the connection that leads to the next major innovation.

Toronto’s concentration of hospitals, universities, research institutes and AI organizations has made it easier for clinicians, scientists, engineers and data experts to collaborate on complex challenges. One example is a University Health Network team using AI-powered models and digital twins to evaluate donor lungs.

For STEM society professionals, this story offers a powerful reminder: the ecosystem surrounding a meeting can be just as important as what happens inside the conference venue.

Explore the article and see how your next meeting destination could help turn new connections into meaningful outcomes: https://ow.ly/2nKh50ZQHzV

Thank you to our Premier Partner: Destination Canada Business Events (Canada Keep Exploring)

Great events don't happen by accident. They're intentionally designed.Meet Beth Surmont, Head of Strategy & Design at 36...
09/09/2026

Great events don't happen by accident. They're intentionally designed.

Meet Beth Surmont, Head of Strategy & Design at 360 Live Media and presenter for CESSE's upcoming webinar, Beyond the Program: Designing STEM Events for Lasting Impact.

Beth helps associations and nonprofits redesign, reinvent, and reinvigorate their events through audience-centered design and purposeful strategy. A recognized innovator in the meetings industry, she is an ASAE The Center for Association Leadership Fellow, CMP Fellow, recipient of PCMA's 2024 Groundbreaker Award, and a member of the Smart Women in Meetings 2026 Innovator class.

Beth will share practical approaches for designing experiences that create connection, spark new ideas, and generate impact that continues well after an event concludes.

📅 September 22, 2026
⏰ 2:00 p.m. ET
✅ 1 CAE credit available. CESSE is also a CMP preferred provider.
🔗 https://ow.ly/4BbR50ZERCJ

Join fellow STEM association professionals for a conversation about designing events that create lasting value.

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1061 American Lane, Suite 310
Chicago, IL
60173

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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