Elissa Myers is an innovative and creative association executive, specializing in developing great leadership and clear strategic and tactical direction for associations. She has worked for more than 40 years with international trade and professional associations to create consensus around a shared vision and a practical plan and to help leaders work together rewardingly. She is a passionate advocate of voluntary associations, and believes in world peace through world commerce. She has outstanding skills in strategic advocacy and in developing international partnerships, and in profitable enterprise development for associations, and in public policy.
She previously served as the CEO of the Academy for Eating Disorders. Immediately prior to this position, she was President & CEO of the Partnership for Prevention, a national think tank and advocacy association, putting prevention at the center of the national health agenda. She served as a key executive of the American Society of Association Executives; as President & CEO of the Electronic Retailing Association; and as President of her own firm Advice and Consensus, where she provided advice to hundreds of associations on strategic planning, good governance, and international development. She has extensive experience in creating world-wide alliances and communities of associations, as well as in advocating for policy harmonization and improvement to national policy bodies around the world. She also is a master of strategic and tactical planning; membership development, retention and engagement; member benefits development and marketing; effective internal and external communications, advocacy & public & media relations.
She is the author and or publisher of hundreds of articles and publications including:
o ASSOCIATION OPERATING RATIO RESEARCH REPORT
o ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT Magazine
o PRINCIPLES OF ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT
o LAW OF ASSOCIATIONS
o ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY
o ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION STUDY
o ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK
She walks the talk on volunteering… she was a Team Leader, Social Responsibility: Innovation on the Edge, Member of the US Department of Commerce IFAC on E-Commerce, and representative of US on World Trade Mission, U.S. Representative on USIA live broadcast to European Women in Management, Partnered with CCTV to establish first National Chinese Television Network, Partnered with the US Federal Trade Commission, as well as the Trade Commissions in Japan, China, Australia, the EU, England, and France to ensure fair-market practices among e-retailers, Sponsor, Partnership for Peace, International Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, Member, Board of Regents, Institutes for Organization Management; Member, Board of Directors, Center for Association Leadership; Member, Committee of 100 of US Chamber of Commerce, Member, Board of Directors, Association of Convention Marketing Executives, President, VA Chapter of the Humane Voters League, Member of the ASAE Public Policy Committee and member of the ASAE International Section Board.