{"id":7772,"date":"2018-03-14T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-03-14T09:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/?p=7772"},"modified":"2019-02-27T20:11:32","modified_gmt":"2019-02-27T20:11:32","slug":"christina-mccoy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naylor.com\/associationadviser\/christina-mccoy\/","title":{"rendered":"You’re Never Too Young to Conquer New Challenges: Christina McCoy, CAE"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Christina
Christina McCoy, AMPED Association Management<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do you remember how you started working in associations? This month\u2019s Corner Office professional, Christina McCoy, CAE<\/strong>, landed her first association job literally hours after taking her last college exam. Although it took her a little longer to realize what association work represents and the endless opportunities it offers, she wasted no time becoming involved in the association community on a deeper level than just 9 to 5, joining ASAE\u2019s Young Professionals Committee, attending the NextGen mentorship program, and earning her Certified Association Professional certification at age 31. She currently works for AMPED Association Management in Madison, Wisc., with offices also in Alexandria, Va.<\/span><\/p>\n

Christina graciously took time to speak with <\/span>Association Adviser<\/span><\/i> about the excitement of building a career that is larger than working for just one organization, becoming a better association manager, and why everyone should kick the stereotyped \u201cmillennial\u201d label to the curb.<\/span><\/p>\n

Association Adviser: How did you get into association work?<\/b><\/p>\n

Christina McCoy, CAE:<\/b> My story starts when I fell into associations right after college. Almost 10 years ago, it was the last day of exams at my alma mater, the University of Wisconsin \u2013 La Crosse, and I had a job interview 2.5 hours away in Madison. I took my last exam, jumped in my car for the interview and got a job as an event and education coordinator for the <\/span>International Association of Industrial Accident Boards and Commissions (IAIABC)<\/span><\/a>. It\u2019s a 103-year-old association of professionals and regulators who oversee workers\u2019 compensation issues. At first, I didn\u2019t even realize I was working for an association. I worked on the programming side, ran conferences and worked on several committees. <\/span><\/p>\n

I think a lot of the reason I got the IAIABC job was my qualifications, but it was also in large part to my determination. I entered the job knowing nothing and left knowing a lot about workers\u2019 comp, about associations, and about where I wanted to go next. I loved the constant change of pace, the new challenges and the great opportunities to work across industries. Plus, it was exciting to work for an organization with such a rich history. They have paper-only recordings of meetings from the early 1900s. It would take some members days to arrive at a meeting! <\/span><\/p>\n

Being a young individual, I was excited about leaving my mark somewhere as I began my professional career. I didn\u2019t have a lot of clarity about what that mark would be, but I was content to let my first association job guide me. Workers\u2019 comp issues aren\u2019t always the most glamorous, but at its core, it\u2019s about safety among anyone who works. So my first job had the potential to affect so many people! And the topics this association covers \u2013 opioids in the workplace, medical marijuana, the definition of work itself \u2013 these are topics that are prevalent in other industries and in mainstream life. So, falling into associations was exciting after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What do you do for AMPED?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM<\/b>: I joined AMPED in April 2017. I\u2019m the newest account executive on the team \u2013 and the youngest. I lead one of our newer clients, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, and recently joined as program director for the <\/span>Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis<\/span>. It\u2019s important to share that the AMPED culture is infused into each of our clients. Our office is hip and modern, and \u00a0staff are incredibly collaborative, regardless of which clients they have. This culture was a huge draw for me when choosing to make a career change, because I value the interconnectedness and team environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: Really? Did you have to become an expert in fantasy sports?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM: <\/b>No, I didn\u2019t have to become an expert, although it\u2019s exciting to work for an association that people understand! People bring one of two experiences to managing an association: you are an expert in the industry or an expert in understanding association management nuances, and you learn the industry through experience. I happen to have played in my family\u2019s fantasy sports leagues for several years, so I have a little experience in fantasy sports but more experience in management. <\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What do you do for them?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> I\u2019m the Fantasy Sports Trade Association\u2019s managing director. I work with their volunteer leaders, help set a strategic vision for the association, and help launch their strategic initiatives. They represent big sports companies plus small businesses and are looking to increase member value. I help them accomplish that by building relationships and networking on their behalf throughout the fantasy sports industry. \u2013 and it\u2019s a huge industry. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association is celebrating 20 years of existence, but fantasy sports have been around for decades. There are nearly 60 million fantasy sports players in North America. Fantasy sports is a $7 billion industry in the United States alone, and is a rapidly growing market in India, where my client wants to expand and partner with the Indian Federation of Fantasy Sports. <\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a fantasy game for every sport. Football, basketball and baseball leagues are the most popular in the U.S., but abroad, you\u2019ll find fantasy leagues for sports like cricket, soccer and sumo wrestling. It\u2019s exciting to work for a client that represents an industry based on fun and excitement with friends and family. Who doesn\u2019t love that? <\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What does your typical workday look like?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM<\/b>: I get into the office at 7:30 and start by checking tons of emails. If there is a secret recipe for managing emails, I would like to acquire it. I identify critical emails and answer them, then I\u2019m on calls most of the day. In the managing director role, I\u2019m constantly reacting to things and having conversations where we can be proactive. This is my third or fourth call this morning! When not having calls, I\u2019m putting together agendas for the next call. But what\u2019s great about AMCs is that I\u2019ll have the opportunity to engage with multiple clients every day and week. There\u2019s this constant need to balance priorities and aptly address them, to discover and fulfill members\u2019 needs, and to plan for appropriate use of resources. That\u2019s what\u2019s exciting about the AMC model. Through this constant loop of action and feedback, I use my experience with more than one client to make everyone better. I really enjoy and thrive by change and a dynamic atmosphere. <\/span><\/p>\n

AA: You earned your Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation this year. What made you want to get your CAE?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> A few things. First, after several years of working for the IAIABC, I was looking for something new to do. I felt like I needed more leadership opportunities or a change in association jobs. My boss at the time encouraged me to volunteer with ASAE as a way of gaining leadership experience, so I browsed their committees and found the Young Professionals Committee. It looked like a good way to network with others like me and open up my mind and worldview to more possibilities within the association industry, because most associations are not located in Wisconsin, where I am. I volunteered to be vice chair of the Young Professionals Committee, and thankfully I was accepted. I saw others on the committee who had their CAE, but at the time thought I was too young and inexperienced to earn it for myself. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then I attended ASAE\u2019s Next Gen Association Summit, where 20 association professionals under age 35 gather every fall for a \u201cmeeting of the minds\u201d with each other and with five mentors who are graduates of the program. We talk about big things that are five years or more away from affecting associations but still coming, such as artificial intelligence and its effects on membership, the life cycles of associations, or other big issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A lot of people in the program envision themselves in the C-suite at some point in their career and have a 5- or 10-year career plan. I was pregnant with my second child at the time so I had other things besides a career plan on my mind, but the mentors at NextGen really challenged me to pursue it. I also looked around and saw others who had experiences similar to me and were already CAEs, so I began to think, if they have it, why shouldn\u2019t I? At that point I knew I was either going to dive deep into associations or just find something else. <\/span><\/p>\n

AA: How do you know when it\u2019s time to pursue a professional credential? <\/b><\/p>\n

CM<\/b>: I think that\u2019s similar to asking, how do you know it\u2019s time to apply for the C-suite? The answer is, you just have to try and put yourself out there. There seems to be a fear among young professionals that they\u2019re too young or too inexperienced to earn the CAE designation. Only 4,100 association professionals, or 5 percent of the industry, hold the CAE certification. Of those, I\u2019ve anecdotally heard that less than 5 percent are under age 35. But as my ASAE mentors challenged, youth isn\u2019t a good reason to hold back. Young professionals still have professional experience to rely upon when facing new challenges or when working with clients or members.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus, if you are excited about your work, you should strive to be the best you can be at it. There are leaders who are passionate about their industry, and there are leaders who are kind of just in their role, whether it\u2019s marketing or HR or something else. At Next Gen, I realized I am really passionate about associations and want to have a career working for them. So it was time to invest more in my career and the industry I realized I love.<\/span><\/p>\n

Becoming a CAE has been great. I\u2019ve met my tribe \u2013 people like me with shared experiences, the same concerns, and similar ideas about how to approach situations, but they come from different types of associations, so I can still learn from them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Christina<\/p>\n

AA: What was your career like when studying for CAE? <\/b><\/p>\n

CM<\/b>: It was crazy. Here was my CAE-earning timeline: I gave birth to my second child on January 1. In January and February, I earned the remaining 20 credits required to be eligible for the exam. Then I studied during my three months on maternity leave. Then I changed jobs in March \u2013 while still on maternity leave. In late March and April, \u00a0I worked part-time for both IAIABC and AMPED to ensure a smooth transition for both, including running and attending IAIABC\u2019s Spring Forum conference (yes, my 4-month old came along!) while onboarding a new client with AMPED. Then I took and passed the CAE exam in May. Crazy, right? I\u2019m thankful for the support I had along the way, especially of my husband, family, coworkers and CAE mentor. I couldn\u2019t have done it without them. Needless to say, I took a well deserved week off in June to disconnect and travel to Italy.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: Right! How did you balance family and professional demands?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> To me, it\u2019s all about knowing where and when you need to put energy in personal and professional life to be successful. Have you heard of the <\/span>Four Burners Theory<\/a><\/strong>? Imagine you have a stove with four burners: career, family, friends and health. Just like an actual stove, you cannot have all burners on high at the same time if you want to flourish \u2013 it\u2019s unrealistic to try and successfully cook more than two high-heat meals at once. Ideally, you want to have just one burner on high; the others off or simmering. At most, you can have two on medium or high at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Life works the same way. With the support of my husband, I was able to turn the family burner almost off and career burner on full blast. I had no interaction with friends, and my health burner was almost completely off \u2013 I gave up soda during this time as my one nod to healthy habits, and I haven\u2019t had one since. Mainly, my life was working, volunteering and studying because that\u2019s what I needed to do to make it through five months and earn my CAE. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you want something badly enough, you will make it happen no matter the circumstances. One person I know said they studied for their CAE certification in the middle of a house renovation. I thought, if they can do that, I can earn my CAE while on maternity leave. I firmly believe that if you can envision it and project it in your mind and \u201cin the universe,\u201d it can become a reality. This step forward in my career was the reality I was pursuing.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What do you want your reality to be in five to 10 years, now that you are a CAE?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> When I think about this question, I ask myself: What are the things that are important to me? Making a difference in an individual\u2019s life or in the lives of others in my industry. Using my experience to touch lots of clients. Being a professional mentor and being seen as a thought leader for the association space. Walking a path to being accepted as an ASAE Fellow. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being a CAE is just the first step of many in a career of constant learning. I could learn about anything, and I want to learn about everything. But more than that, I\u2019m hoping I can be another piece in the larger perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

AA: How does a professional certification like the Certified Association Executive designation help you be a better association manager?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM: <\/b>Earning the CAE has helped me become more measured in response to questions. I\u2019m constantly evaluating what the association I\u2019m working for could do differently or better, and how we could be more efficiently using resources and strategy. If we take a certain stand, what does it mean for members and the industry? How can I empower and inspire members and business partners to do more together? Basically, the CAE designation helps me take the relatively limited experience I have and validates it. The CAE makes me a better type of glue that connects people and keeps them moving.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: Why do you think it\u2019s important for young professionals to have a seat at the board of directors table?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> It\u2019s important for young people to get involved and keep learning, but I also think organizations need to identify their goals before automatically putting young people on a board. You don\u2019t want to fall into the trap of putting a young professional at the table without recognizing what they can bring to the table; that could be isolating. Merit is necessary too. An organization should think about the goals it could achieve with certain board makeup. Is a younger voice and perspective part of your strategy, but currently underrepresented at the board level? This is analogous to having a goal of better wealth management without having a CPA on board. Maybe your goal is having more diversity; maybe you\u2019re looking for different generations to populate a board to help build a leadership pipeline through mentoring and succession. <\/span><\/p>\n

Think through your organizational goals and publicize the value you hope to gain by achieving those goals so that it\u2019s clear to people serving what those goals are and how they are expected to contribute toward that value. It\u2019s been my position to encourage young people to apply for board positions in which they feel passionate and qualified. Don\u2019t wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder. <\/span><\/p>\n

At NextGen, one of the biggest takeaways was that we all have the same questions and problems. And we\u2019re all looking to solve them. The perceived line between senior leadership and everyone else is much closer than you think. We\u2019re looking for brave individuals who will try to bridge that gap. I think that\u2019s what board members are. <\/span><\/p>\n

So association boards of directors don\u2019t <\/span>need <\/span><\/i>to have a dedicated young professionals\u2019 spot \u2013 although I believe that rule should be flexible depending on the industry. Some industries should consider having a standing YP spot on boards because they skew older and they <\/span>need <\/span><\/i>some younger leadership to survive. But mostly, I believe a board member post isn\u2019t always the solution, but part of it. A title does not define a leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What is your opinion about generational or age-oriented labels like boomer, millennial or young professional? <\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> I\u2019d answer that question with another question about generational labels: Why is there pain in being known by one or the other?<\/span><\/p>\n

By insisting on labeling generations and reducing the people within a given generation to a media-generated stereotype, I think there\u2019s a missed opportunity to have a different conversation: How people across generations are more similar than different. It\u2019s fun to talk about differences but it\u2019s not productive. Choosing to talk about similarities is exciting because if we focus on similarities, we can come together better and do great things. This is what the ASAE Foundation staff does when working on campaigns for things like Giving Tuesday. They ask people to positively give by focusing on similarities between association professionals and helping out professionals like you. It works so much better than talking about helping someone not like you. Focusing on differences just divides people. <\/span><\/p>\n

Choose to be impactful. That\u2019s what people will remember. If you do get the chance to come up with some or all of the definitions of a generation, great. ASAE worked with our YP Committee to refine the characteristics of millennials as stated in their Drivers of Change document. We pointed out that millennials, many of whom are technically at the older age of the spectrum [in their 30s], are not on their way into leadership positions and positions of influence, but already there. We wanted to change the conversation from \u201cMillennials are coming,\u201d to \u201cWe\u2019re here now.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Last year I wrote about career pathing and commented that someone wiser than me shared their perspective on that <\/span>there are four sets of 15-year spans in a lifetime: ages 5 to 20, 20 to 35, 35 to 50, and 50 to 65. And each \u2013 learning and developing, career exploration and establishment, career maximization, and leveraging and giving back \u2013 is representative of growth in our life. Young professionals are on the cusp of beginning the career maximization stage, and the small population of Gen X before us allow some YPs access to leadership roles sooner than others. <\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What do you and your colleagues prefer to be known by?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> I like young careerist. It speaks to the young part, which is fact, but it also speaks to the idea that we\u2019re investing our careers in our industry and in the association space. This is language the industry needs to communicate among itself, that is often lost in the larger history of associations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Some people like the label emerging leaders. It\u2019s okay \u2013 it\u2019s better than millennial \u2013 but I think it\u2019s kind of vanilla. On our Young Professionals Committee, half of us are CAEs. So if we\u2019re CAEs but also emerging, when do we become leaders?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you have to label a group, know that any label can be broken down into smaller, more accurate labels. Older millennials grew up differently than younger millennials \u2013 we didn\u2019t have the internet from birth, or smart phones since middle school.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mostly, I think we should dropkick the word millennial. #byefelicia<\/span><\/p>\n

AA: What advice would you give someone who is starting their career in association work?<\/b><\/p>\n

CM:<\/b> First, I\u2019d say there is an association for everything. Because of this, the opportunities to make an impact are endless. If you work for a company, you\u2019ll have an impact on that company alone. But if you work for an association, you\u2019ll have impact on an industry. That\u2019s the story of associations. At the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, we don\u2019t have an impact on one game, we have an impact on all fantasy games. Associations are industries, and working for associations is larger than working for a company.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To someone working with a young careerist in an association, I advise that once you have a young leader in associations, keep them in associations. We don\u2019t want to lose them to companies! The next wave of impact is demonstrating the power of associations to the larger world, and we need young people to ride out that wave.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, I\u2019d advise that they get a mentor. I cannot emphasize enough the role that mentors have played in my personal success. I\u2019ve been able to work within the YP committee and NextGen, and accolades like being nominated for ASAE\u2019s 40 under 40 comes from being smart enough to recognize that you need mentors. There are three types of mentors: Those you have for a reason, those for a season, and those for a lifetime. Mentors for a reason will connect you to opportunities you can\u2019t find on your own. Mentors for a season might help you navigate a new role, such as those who helped me when I began working with volunteer leaders. I called upon a few people to teach and encourage me through the process. Mentors for a lifetime are people who are your age or at the same career level that you\u2019ll laterally network with and mutually mentor your whole professional career. Learn from their experiences as you go through your work life together. <\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m thankful for mentors I\u2019ve had, currently have, and will have. Knowing that value and giving back when I can is one of the most important things about association (or any industry) life. I\u2019m a millennial, but I give back. Most of us do! So I guess I\u2019m proud to be a millennial after all. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you remember how you started working in associations? This month\u2019s Corner Office professional, Christina McCoy, CAE, landed her first association job literally hours after taking her last college exam. Although it took her a little longer to realize what association work represents and the endless opportunities it offers, she wasted no time becoming involved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,48,87],"tags":[1432,351,1053,624],"class_list":["post-7772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","category-leaders-table","category-association-leadership","tag-amped","tag-association-management","tag-association-management-company","tag-young-professionals"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nYou're Never Too Young to Conquer New Challenges: Christina McCoy, CAE - Association Adviser<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Do you remember how you started working in associations? 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