The Association Insights Podcast

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, recorded on the show floor at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Patricia (Patti) Montague, FASAE, CAE, CEO of the School Nutrition Association (SNA), to explore how associations can remain relevant, strengthen advocacy and deliver meaningful member value through decades of change.Drawing on more than 13 years as CEO and a career spanning multiple leadership roles at SNA, Patti shares lessons from leading an association of 50,000 members, making difficult decisions about legacy programs and advocating for the resources school nutrition professionals need to serve millions of children every day.Key HighlightsKeep Member Value at the Center: Why understanding what members actually want and need matters more than following industry trends—and why SNA continues publishing a magazine its members love.Make Advocacy Operationally Feasible: How SNA balances ambitious nutrition policies with the financial and operational realities facing school nutrition professionals, from rising food costs to federal reimbursement rates.Preserve the Purpose, Not Necessarily the Program: Why association leaders sometimes need to rethink longstanding initiatives, redirect resources and find new ways to deliver the same meaningful value.Support Members Throughout Their Careers: How education, professional development and community help members advance from cafeteria roles into leadership positions while adapting to new technologies and workforce demands.Demonstrate the Power of Association Advocacy: How SNA worked with federal agencies to secure critical waivers and resources during COVID-19, helping school nutrition professionals continue feeding children when schools closed.Prepare for What's Next: Why AI, financial pressures and the growing need for trusted information will shape how associations serve their members in the years ahead.🎧 Tune in for a candid conversation about leading through change, making tough decisions and keeping an association indispensable to the people and communities it serves.Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies.Coming Soon: More conversations with association executives, innovators and industry experts sharing fresh perspectives, practical strategies and ideas shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back Preeti Vasishtha, AAiP, Director of Content and Editor-in-Chief at the American Academy of Actuaries, for a conversation about leadership, navigating change and knowing when to let go.More than a year after her first appearance, Preeti shares how her role has evolved from revamping a flagship publication to shaping a broader content strategy – and what she's learned about bringing people along, making difficult decisions and redefining her own contributions as a leader.Key HighlightsChange With Purpose: Why understanding an organization's history, processes and member needs should come before making changes, and why tradition alone isn't a reason to keep doing things the same way.Bring People Along: How building a shared understanding of the problem, inviting different perspectives and creating ownership can help teams embrace change.Collaboration vs. Decision-Making: Why giving people a voice doesn't mean every decision needs to be made by committee –and how leaders can balance listening with moving forward.Learning to Let Go: How moving into senior leadership requires shifting from measuring what you personally produce to the impact you help your team and organization achieve.Rethinking AI Through a Leadership Lens: Why Preeti is asking not just what AI can do, but when it should be used – and what we risk losing when we outsource too much of our thinking.It's OK Not to Have Every Answer: Why becoming comfortable saying "I don't know yet" can be a sign of stronger, more thoughtful leadership.🎧 Tune in for an honest, practical conversation about leading through change, trusting your judgment and growing into leadership without feeling like you have to do it all yourself.Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies.Coming Soon: More conversations with association executives, innovators and industry experts sharing fresh perspectives, practical strategies and ideas shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned!

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we wrap up our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals.Host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, for a final conversation connecting the lessons from our association leader interviews with Highland's broader research into what younger professionals really need.David shares why associations must move beyond simply distributing benefits and resources to become trusted career partners – and how creating more intentional experiences at critical career moments can strengthen engagement and retention.Key Highlights:From Benefits to Career Partnership: Why younger professionals are looking for more than programs and resources – and what it means for associations to become essential partners in their careers.The Five Behaviors of Great Partners: How anticipating needs, responding to emotions, offering timely guidance, building confidence and making progress possible can transform the member experience.Meeting the Needs Behind the Needs: Why associations should look beyond functional support to address the social and emotional needs surrounding important career milestones.Trust as a Competitive Advantage: What associations can uniquely offer in a world of LinkedIn, Reddit and countless other professional communities.Start With What You Have: Why improving one high-impact member experience may be more valuable than launching another program – and how three-year retention and experience-based measures can help track progress.🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about turning existing association resources into meaningful career partnerships—and giving younger professionals a reason to stay.Resources:🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-upStay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies.Coming Soon: More conversations with association leaders, innovators and industry experts sharing fresh perspectives, practical strategies and ideas shaping the future of associations. Stay tuned!🎧 This special series was brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we continue our special fall series with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals.Host Colleen Gallagher and special co-host David Whited, Principal of Research & Strategy at Highland, sit down with Ryan Vanderbilt, Vice President of Membership, Marketing & Communications at the American Psychiatric Association (APA), to explore what it really means for members to feel they belong—and how associations can foster meaningful connections throughout their careers.From APA's new strategic plan to research-driven experiments with mentorship, micro-volunteering and member communities, Ryan shares how APA is moving beyond traditional benefits to become a more relevant and supportive professional home.Key Highlights:Belonging Beyond Benefits: Why APA made belonging a strategic priority and what it means for members to feel understood, valued and connected to their profession.Learning From Residency: How the close-knit relationships formed during training can inform new approaches to mentorship and career-long connections.Creating Community at Scale: How APA is leveraging local networks and practice-specific roundtables to help members find meaningful connections without manufacturing community.Making Engagement More Accessible: Why micro-volunteering, peer mentorship and shorter commitments can open new opportunities for younger professionals to contribute.Turning Research Into Action: How listening beyond the most engaged members, personalizing experiences by practice setting and testing new ideas can strengthen member value.🎧 Tune in for a practical conversation about creating the conditions for belonging—and building member relationships that last.Resources:🌐 Learn more about Highland: www.highlandsolutions.com📊 Take the Young Professional Membership Index: https://www.highlandsolutions.com/member-index/sign-upStay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies.Coming Soon: We're wrapping up our special fall series with Highland! David Whited returns for a final conversation with Colleen to connect the lessons from our association leader interviews with Highland's research and explore what associations can do to better attract, engage and retain younger professionals.🎧 This special series is brought to you by our friends at Highland, where strategy meets research meets action.

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes back Joanna Pineda, CEO & Chief Troublemaker at Matrix Group International, on the eve of the launch of her new book, When It Mattered Most: The Untold Stories of How Associations Protected Professions and Saved Industries During the Pandemic. Joanna shares the remarkable stories she uncovered of associations working behind the scenes during the pandemic – and the lessons they offer association leaders navigating disruption today. From advocacy that kept industries operating to leaders making critical decisions in a matter of days, the conversation explores what associations accomplished, why so many of those stories remain untold and what we can learn from them now.Key HighlightsThe Stories We Never Heard: Joanna shares how one conversation with the School Nutrition Association led her to uncover dozens of stories about associations protecting their members, professions and communities during the pandemic. Leadership When There Is No Playbook: Strong board relationships, trusted partnerships, organizational alignment and the ability to make decisions quickly helped associations respond when every day mattered. The Lessons Still Matter: Today’s disruptions may look different, but Joanna argues that association leaders still need to recognize moments that demand urgency, adaptability and decisive leadership. Tell the Story Behind the Work: Associations are often great at communicating what they do but less likely to tell the story of how they made it happen. Joanna explains why those stories matter—and why telling them isn’t bragging. Taking Associations Beyond the Association World: Joanna hopes the book helps the broader public—and the next generation—better understand the role associations play in our professions, industries and everyday lives. 🎧 Tune in for a powerful conversation about leadership, storytelling and the extraordinary work associations can do when it matters most.Resources: 📘 Buy When It Mattered Most: The Untold Stories of How Associations Protected Professions and Saved Industries During the Pandemic: Kindle and paperback amzn.to/47IhtVOHardback https://www.amazon.com/dp/1963732464Barnes & Noble https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/when-it-mattered-most-joanna-pineda/1151584099?ean=2940196685064Buy elsewhere https://books2read.com/u/31E607Stay Connected: Subscribe to The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube Podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. Follow us on LinkedIn at OnWrd & UpWrd for the latest in association trends and strategies.Coming Soon: Next week, we're resuming our special fall series in partnership with Highland, exploring how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals. Colleen and Highland's David Whited will sit down with association leaders to unpack real-world approaches, lessons learned and what's working – before David returns to close out the series and connect those experiences back to Highland's research.