Principals’ Biographies

STEPHEN C. CAREY, Ph.D., CAE, was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Association Management + Marketing Resources (AM+MR) in July 1996. In this capacity, Dr. Carey has successfully led AM+MR’s consultant team on over 100 major management consulting, market research and search assignments with trade associations and professional/medical societies in the key areas of structure, governance, communications, education, certification and accreditation marketing, strategic planning and administrative management operations. Dr. Carey was the first trade association and professional society consultant to be appointed to the Board of Examiners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is the highest level of national recognition for innovation and performance excellence that a U.S. organization or association can receive. Dr. Carey holds a Ph.D. in political science with area emphasis in administrative management, and a Masters in Educational Foundations with areas of emphasis in educational foundations and research.
 

Prior to his AM+MR appointment, Dr. Carey was the President and CEO of the International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus (IACVB). IACVB is an international trade association representing 420+ convention and visitor bureaus in 33 countries with a staff of 20 and a budget of $3M. During his tenure, Dr. Carey moved the association, created a full-time staff of 19 with international headquarters in Washington, DC. and established IACVB’s as a “household” brand and major player in the convention/travel/tourism industry and federal government department and agencies. Dr. Carey established and was the first Executive Director of the IACVB Foundation and a new convention industry award, The Spirit of Hospitality, the most prestigious award in the travel tourism industry today. He also introduced a new travel/tourism/ convention client directory; established a 3^rd association trade show in New York; and was a key hospitality industry player in planning and executing the first White House Conference of Travel and Tourism in 1996. From 1982-1993, Dr. Carey was the CEO of the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives (GWSAE) and established the GWSAE Foundation, of which he was the executive director, the largest regional group of national and international association executives in the country. During his tenure, GWSAE’s membership increased from 1,300 to 3,600 and the association grew from 4 staff and budget of $600,000, to 34 staff and a budget of approximately $5M. Dr. Carey established the first silent auction and gala fundraising dinner in the hospitality industry, setting the example and establishing a best practice for other associations and foundations to use this vehicle as a major fundraising activity. From June 1978 to 1982, Dr. Carey was the chief administrator and marketing officer for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a national educational and scientific association (50,000 members, 90 staff), with a $20M+ budget. Dr. Carey has written, published, or edited 100+ articles and several books on association marketing, communication, governance and management topics, including the first association marketing management textbook entitled, Marketing the Non-profit Association, and the only two association supplier textbooks currently in the marketplace. His textbook, Marketing and Selling to Associations in the New Millennium, was selected for an award by Association Trends in 1998. In 2005, Dr. Carey published a new book entitled, The Association Marketing and Communications Planning Guide, which provides a variety of marketing and communications planning best practices, templates and models. In 2006, Dr Carey published the Association Strategic Planning and Research Guide, which is a step-by-step path to planning the association’s future, and tying it to governance and the yearly program of work—now in its 3^rd edition. Dr. Carey also taught the first Graduate level association marketing and communications class in the Business School of George Washington University. In 2001, Dr. Carey was selected to write and teach the first integrated marketing and communications management curriculum for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Institutes of Association Management Program.” He was also selected to teach the first “Taste of Institutes” program, combining two institute courses into a full day e-business marketing communications program, and developed a unique IAM course on strategic planning and strategy. In addition to being a charter member of the American League of Lobbyists, he was also selected as one of the 12 most influential association executives by the Washington Business Journal and was selected for the 2002, 2004 and 2006 Awards of Excellence for his marketing and strategic planning training programs and books by the Maryland Society of Association Executives, in addition to receiving the Chairman’s Award from ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership. He is considered to be one of the industry’s leading experts on restructuring larger associations, integrated association e-business marketing and communications management operations, association strategic operations, true value/ROI issues and entrepreneurial programs and services delivery systems. Dr. Carey and several of AM+MR’s clients were featured in the lead article, entitled, Marketing as a Mindset, in an issue of Associations Now magazine, published by the American Society of Association Executives, and has written a seminal article on association dues structures for Associations Now. Dr. Carey was also featured in ASAE’s new book, Association E-business: Objective Research with insights from Association Professionals, as one of two expert contributor / commentator consultants. Dr Carey is called upon by ASAE, the ASAE Foundation, NYSAE, The Association Forum of Chicagoland and a variety of other Allied Societies and other industry associations for advice and guidance on a variety of Association management topics and issues. Dr. Carey also served on the consultant’s review panel and Joint Planning Committee for the American Society of Association Executives and the Center for Association Leadership. Dr. Carey is also a Charter Class Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and a former military officer, who has been awarded the Silver and Bronze Stars among other military citations.

KAREN CLAYTON, CAE has been the Executive Vice President of Association Marketing & Management Resources (AM+MR) since July 2004. Ms. Clayton is a certified association executive and holds a Bachelors degree from Queens College, having over thirty years of senior level association management experience in major functional areas for both small and large associations representing professional and/or trade memberships. Since joining AM+MR, she has brought with her hands-on staffing and structural experience in working closely with association and foundation boards, committees and volunteer leaders and has supported a variety of market research (both qualitative and quantitative) in the areas of membership / marketing / communications and publications-related consulting assignments. As Director of Marketing for The American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.), she directed the marketing, publishing and communications efforts for that association. Formerly, the Associate Executive Director for Marketing and Communications for the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) with a 15+ Million budget for over three years, she created an integrated marketing and communications cross-functional support team of 42 staff to provide on-going strategic planning, marketing business plans, public relations, creative/graphic services for all product/service lines plus managed their AOTA PRESS, fulfillment operation, subscription magazines/journals, advertising sales and the web site. She was responsible for the AOTA foundation’s highly successful public visibility campaign for the appropriate use of backpacks by students to assist in reducing the number of injuries in that regard. Previously, as the Vice President for Membership and Affiliate Relations for the Association for Image and Information Management (AIIM), a $10M+ trade association, she managed the association’s membership, chapter development programs, affiliate relations, and special interest groups. During her tenure, she was able to increase membership to over 10,000, revised corporate and individual dues program/benefits which realized new milestones in membership growth, and assisted new European office in building an international membership base with a dues schedule, foreign currencies payment plan, data collection/processing system, and membership marketing. AIIM is the leading E-business and “B to B” marketplace for the document management industry. Previously, as Associate Executive Director, Marketing, Quality and External Relations with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, NY, a 130,000 international member society with a $60M budget and 400+ staff, she developed a society-wide marketing and service quality function, managed the off-site sales fulfillment operation, and supervised the association’s Washington office extensive government relations program. Prior, she was Group Director, Conferences, Membership and Communications with the Institute of Industrial Engineers and directed key product line marketing activities, service quality and productivity programs, as well as the association conventions, education meetings, membership operations, and the public relations/communication program. She also served as co-interim executive director during the organization 9 month executive search. Ms. Clayton has assisted numerous association management and marketing organizations over the years. She has served on a variety of associations’ management/service quality committees and task forces throughout her career, and co-authored the chapter on quality service in the first integrated association marketing textbook, Marketing the Nonprofit Association. Ms. Clayton is also a Board Member for the Nation’s Capitol Children’s Hospital Board of Visitors, and responsible for key fundraising activities of the yearly Vintage Auction, administration of their Hospital grant program and assisting in a variety of children-related activities.

LEONARD M. RICKMAN, M.A., has 22 years experience in market, education, communications, and operations research and statistics. His experience includes research and marketing at trade shows, education conferences, symposia, etc. Mr. Rickman has a long list of engagements in business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketing. His research typically includes collection and analysis of quantitative (survey) and qualitative (focus groups) data. Recently, Rickman conducted three rounds of research for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). First, he conducted background research on accreditation issues in the news (e.g., diploma mills, school accountability and transparency); second he conducted focus groups with parents of high school students, and current college students; third he conducted focus groups among reporters and journalists in the mainstream and higher education media. Specifically, Mr. Rickman conducts surveys, focus groups, in-depth interviews, tele-interviewing and tele-surveying, usability tests, strategic communications, and business meetings. He has conducted telephone focus groups and interviews with people in 24 countries, and provides 24/7 service for those research methods. Mr. Rickman specializes in associations and nonprofits, and has worked for a variety of professional and trade associations and others in higher and K-12 education, health care, engineering and building sciences, human services, and other industries. As an example for the International Society for Technology in Education Mr. Rickman conducted a focus groups and in-depth interviews at the society’s national conference. For the National Council for Higher Education Loan Programs he conducted a national survey about marketing and motivation to join and renew membership. For the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Mr. Rickman conducted an international survey, and multinational telephone focus groups and interviews about membership value. For the National Health Services Corps, Mr. Rickman conducted in-person focus groups and telephone interviews about recruitment and retention. Mr. Rickman has written for newsletters or magazines of the American Marketing Association, the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, and the Qualitative Research Consultants Association. Mr. Rickman has been a featured speaker for the American Society of Association Executives, the American Marketing Association, the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards; the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center; the NAHB Remodelers Council, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and state and local home builders associations in 10 states. Mr. Rickman is a former public policy analyst for the City of New York, and was a market research and outreach specialist with the NAHB Research Center (NAHB’s engineering and research subsidiary). Also, for several years he held a real estate sales license in Maryland and Virginia, and he sold new homes in Virginia for more than a year. Mr. Rickman holds a Master of Arts degree from The New School for Social Research in New York, NY, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Clark University in Worcester, MA.. Mr. Rickman also attended the “Theory and Practice of Focus Group Moderating;” a 25-hour course at RIVA Training Institute; Bethesda, Maryland; January 1991. Mr. Rickman chaired the American Marketing Association (AMA) Washington Chapter Market Research Interest Group from 2003-2008. Mr. Rickman also is active in the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the International Association of Business Communicators. Mr. Rickman has been published by AMA; QRCA; the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives; and two federal agencies. He was a speaker for AMA (about conference-based research); QRCA; ASAE; the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards; the Temple University Institute on Aging; the University of North Carolina, Asheville; the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension Service; and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

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