Looking Forward 2024 Impact: First Look at Trends and Analysis

Dean A West, FASAE Related Seminars and Products

President

Association Laboratory

Dean West is the founder and President of Association Laboratory Inc. He leads client engagements and is a frequent speaker and facilitator for national and global association leadership meetings.

Mr. West is a former association executive with experience as executive director, chief operating officer, and chief financial officer for both national and international membership organizations. He has been a consultant to the association community since 1992, and has provided services to hundreds of state, national, and international organizations.

Dean West is a nationally recognized expert in association management. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives. Mr. West authored the chapter on Membership Research for the ASAE book, Membership Essentials and the chapter on Marketing Professional Development Programs in the ASAE book, Core Competencies in Professional Development.

Mr. West is an experienced volunteer leader familiar with the demands of volunteer leadership. He is Past Chairman of ASAE’s Professional Development Council and has served on the ASAE Membership Council and the Editorial Board for the ASAE & the Center for Association Leadership Journal of Association Leadership. He is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Association Forum of Chicagoland.

Nikki Golden, CAE Related Seminars and Products

Association Laboratory

Nikki Golden, CAE, is a strategist with Association Laboratory, which helps associations make strategic business decisions—on everything from membership to strategic planning to educational programming/certification—using state-of-the-art research. Previous to this position, she was the executive director of the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery.

Nikki has been recognized for her work in the association world, making the inaugural list of Association Forum of Chicagoland/USAE Forty Under 40 list. Nikki is an active member of Association Forum of Chicagoland, where she has served on the Editorial Working Group and Content Planning Committee, chaired the CAE Working Group and Membership SIG. She also frequently facilitates for the Association Forum’s CAE Study Course and its Association 101 program, has presented at Forum Forward and has been a contributor to FORUM magazine.

Nikki built her association career working in both marketing and membership, with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Felicia Kenan, JM, MPA, CAE, CMP Related Seminars and Products

Strategist

Association Laboratory

Felicia D. Kenan, JM, MPA, CAE, CMP is an accomplished executive director and association management professional with experience spanning various leadership roles across multiple industries. She has experience in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, education, and operations. Her educational foundation is robust, with a Juris Master (JM) in Health Care Law, Policy, and Regulation from Emory School of Law, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from South University, a Bachelor of Arts in English from North Carolina State University, and several other noteworthy certifications.

A dedicated member of the NCState Black Alumni Society and the American Society of Association Executives, Felicia’s commitment to excellence and continuous learning is evident in her ongoing pursuits and affiliations.

Elaine Richardson, CMP Related Seminars and Products

Vice president, conferences and operations

National Black MBA Association

Elaine Richardson believes that the holistic combination of events,marketing, sales and communication can lead to dynamic experiences that enrich and empower attendees. Elaine has more than 15 years of experience in event strategy and management, site selection, contract negotiation, meeting planning and execution for everything from intimate executive retreats for 15 to summer high school programs to large-scale conferences and trade shows for 10,000+.

In her role as Vice President, Conference and Operations for the National Black MBA Association® Elaine is responsible for the event strategy, design, planning, logistics and execution for NBMBAA’s inperson events. She is the chief architect of the NBMBAA® Annual Conference and Exposition, where she also manages Career Expo exhibit sales and the NBMBAA® Job Board. In her role, Elaine is also responsible for NBMBAA’s membership department, with a focus on member growth and retention strategy. She also supports NBMBAA’s overall live events portfolio, including the NBMBAA Leaders of Tomorrow®, board and other meetings.

A native of the Chicago area, Elaine received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is currently an MBA candidate at the Quantic School of Business and Technology. She holds a Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) Designation issued by the Events Industry Council and is a member of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

K Malaika Walton, CAE Related Seminars and Products

Account Executive

Association Management Strategies

Malaika serves as the Executive Director for the GridWise Alliance and the Operations Director for the Center for Baby and Adult Hygiene Products. She previously served as the Membership and Program Director for the Life Insurance Settlement Association. Malaika has 25 years’ experience developing and implementing global strategies and achieving strategic outcomes in associations, non-profit organizations, and the US Government.
With 8 years of direct membership association management experience, Malaika has worked closely with 18 Boards of Directors, including their committees and task forces. She thrives on collaborating with senior volunteer leadership to develop and operationalize vision and strategy, and has successfully implemented strategic and tactical initiatives, including focused outreach workshops, conference planning, membership drives and board election processes.
Prior to launching her non-profit career, Malaika served for 20+ years in the Foreign Service, with assignments in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
Malaika lives in Reston, VA. She is a proud dance mom who finds joy in the noise, crowds and enthusiasm of dance competitions. She is also an active volunteer in non-profit groups, including the Princeton Club of Washington, the Princeton Prize in Race Relations, AMPS, a non-profit organization supporting competitive dancers, and Coming to the Table.