ASA International President Garrett Schwartz began 2024 by delivering the message that to begin the new year, ASA’s international officers and board of governors are focused on the important strategic issues, as well as starting the process of replacing former CEO Johnnie White, Schwartz wrote in a Jan. 5 letter on the ASA site.

“In December, Johnnie (White) let us know that he had accepted a position as chief executive officer (CEO) of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology,” Schwartz wrote. “Johnnie had worked for several medical associations, including the Endocrine Society, so this was a return to his roots in association management.

“We are proud of what we have accomplished during Johnnie’s tenure. While we are sad to lose him, this is a great opportunity for Johnnie, and we wish him success in his new role. Johnnie’s last day with ASA will be in mid-February, and he will be working closely with me, headquarters staff, the international officers, and the board of governors over the next few weeks to ensure we are prepared for the transition,” Schwartz added. “Until a new CEO is hired, the functions will be carried out by our senior management team of Chief Operating Officer Bonny (Price) Rogers, Chief Financial Officer Joe Noselli, and Chief Partnership Officer John Russell.”

In the letter, Schwartz also indicated that ASA has already begun its global search for a new CEO. Schwartz appointed ASA International Vice President G. Adrian Gonzalez, Jr., ASA, to lead the CEO search committee with the assistance of Association Strategies, Inc. (ASI), the executive search firm that brought White to ASA in 2019.

The search committee includes a diverse group of ASA member leaders, a member of ASA’s staff, and an external leader from a related valuation professional organization.

“The search committee will be working with ASI on a global search process similar to that used in 2019. They will collect information from our members and other stakeholders on important characteristics and skills necessary for a successful ASA CEO and use that information to market and recruit potential candidates,” Schwartz wrote. “The search committee will screen candidates, conduct interviews, and identify the top finalists. Those finalists will be interviewed by our Board of Governors, who will make the final hiring decision.

“An effective search process is expected to take a few months. We are fortunate that ASI already understands ASA’s unique organization and structure, which will help streamline the process. I hope that we will be able to hire a new CEO by May,” he added.

Additionally, Schwartz referenced that the board of governors is also addressing several strategic issues this year. Working groups have been formed to look at three areas, chapters, disciplines, and the responsibilities of ASA’s governors.

“Our Chapters Working Group is led by Region Gov. Theresa Zeidler, ASA, and includes other governors and advisors from our chapters. The working group is charged with conducting research and outreach on chapter structures in other organizations, reviewing ASA’s current vision and strategic purpose of our chapters and how they interact with our members, the support our chapters receive from headquarters, and other related issues,” Schwartz said.

The Disciplines Working Group is led by Appraisal Review & Management Discipline Governor Jack Young, ASA, and includes other governors and representatives of each of our discipline committees. This working group is assessing ASA’s discipline system, ASA’s value proposition compared to single-discipline organizations, the strengths of each discipline, the types of support that each discipline needs, and other associated issues.

ASA’s Governor Roles Working Group is led by Region Gov. Sandra Tropper, ASA, and includes other governors and advisors from both chapters and discipline committees. The working group is reviewing the expectations, roles, and responsibilities of our region and discipline governors with the goal of developing reasonable expectations to allow governors to support their roles in our policy governance system, the international president said.

All three groups are expected to provide recommendations to the Board of Governors on any potential changes and areas of opportunity. These types of strategic working groups allow the Board of Governors to focus on specific strategic areas while continuing its normal governance work and monitoring of ASA.

“I appreciate the commitment of our member leaders to strengthening ASA and the commitment of our members to upholding the highest standards in our profession,” Schwartz said in the letter’s closing. “Thank you for your continued support of ASA.”