On this episode of The Association Podcast, Megan Paulini of Associations International, Senior Technical Solutions Specialist and recent AWTC Champion Award winner, shares how she accidentally entered the association world via a temp role and grew from member services into tech solutioning, QA, and deep NetForum work. She explains how an AMC’s shared-services model supports multiple association clients across varied tech stacks and why clear definitions, overcommunication, and documentation prevent costly misunderstandings. Megan reflects on recognition through AWTC, her preference for puzzle-style projects, and practical ways she uses AI daily, including having it review requirements for gaps, interview her with follow-up questions, generate test cases, and build a project forecast spreadsheet to reduce QA bottlenecks. The conversation also touches on realistic personalization, data foundations, and balancing customization with guardrails.

00:43 Guest Intro

01:16 Rapid Fire Questions

03:23 How Megan Found Associations

04:32 From Member Services to Tech

07:26 Inside the AMC Model

10:06 Patterns Across Clients

12:22 Translating Business to Tech

15:56 AWTC Award Spotlight

20:37 Favorite Projects and Puzzles

21:53 Switching to Maybel Setup

22:23 Daily AI Wheel Spin

22:59 AI for Better Requirements

24:27 AI as Interviewer

25:51 Forecasting QA Bottlenecks

27:10 Choosing AI Tools

30:05 Data Personalization Reality

32:52 Progressive Profiling Vision

33:23 Career Path Marketing

35:12 Role Evolution at AMC

38:43 Guardrails Over Customization

40:27 Office Rundown Analogy

41:03 Closing Takeaways

On this episode of The Association Podcast, Scott Bush, CEO of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR), shares his path from mechanical engineering to a decade in minor league baseball, leading to his role at SABR focused on growing revenue and membership. He explains SABR’s origins in 1971, its mission of sharing baseball research, and its structure of 85 worldwide chapters and 34 research committees spanning analytics, history, and niche topics, including projects restoring grave markers for former players. Bush discusses how technology, the pandemic, and virtual engagement expanded access and community, while emphasizing “humanity first” in member communication. He outlines strategies to improve retention, build fundraising, and expand student membership through baseball analytics courses, and details current debates on content strategy, AI-driven declines in search traffic, and potential paywall or newsletter approaches. He also previews SABR 54 in Cleveland (July 29–Aug 2), featuring Guardians speakers, research presentations, a game, League Park visit, and a Major League screening with director David Ward.

00:00 Cold Open Setup

00:14 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:45 Rapid Fire Questions

02:34 Scott Career Journey

05:59 What Sabre Does

07:52 Tech and Pandemic Shifts

10:14 Chapters and Committees

13:30 Sabre and Analytics Origins

18:44 Growing Sabre Revenue

21:25 Student Analytics Boom

22:15 Courses and Portfolios

23:16 Favorite Committees Talk

24:06 Legacy Versus Innovation

29:47 Human Touch and Tech

32:55 Content Strategy Debate

36:33 SEO and AI Disruption

38:07 SABR 54 Cleveland Preview

41:02 Wrap Up and Thanks

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Lacey Pope, MBA, CAE, Customer Success Manager at Web Scribble, to discuss her career journey in associations and her transition to the industry partner side. Lacey shares how she entered the association world through temp work, earned her CAE, and later drove process improvements at the Oncology Nursing Society that increased live support and boosted customer satisfaction by nearly 10%. She reflects on leading membership technology modernization at Shriners International—including AI translation tools, a new LMS, project management platform, and Power BI reporting—work that earned her recognition at the AWTC Awards. The conversation also explores hiring in the age of AI, daily AI use in customer success, and how associations can build stronger workforce development pipelines beyond a basic job board.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:36 Rapid Fire Questions

02:17 Lacey Association Journey

03:26 Process Improvement Wins

04:55 Career Pivot and Web Scribble

07:22 Awards and Title Tradeoffs

09:32 Vendor Side and Member Value

12:05 Meet Mabel Topic Wheel

13:23 Hiring in the Age of AI

17:44 Daily AI and Policies

20:01 Using AI On The Side

20:51 Five-Year Career Pivot

22:17 Recruited To WebScribble

23:00 Industry Credibility Matters

24:58 Networking And Job Boards

27:02 Daily Wins And Parenting

28:21 AWTC Recognition And Belonging

30:52 Recognition And Community Growth

33:24 Customer Success Trends

34:51 Advice For Student Pipelines

36:42 What WebScribble Does 38:32 Final Thanks And Wrap

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Jamie Atchison, MSMIT, Senior Director of Innovation and Strategy at the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Jamie shares her unique journey from public health programming into technology leadership, highlighting how she bridges business needs and digital innovation within her organization.

We explore ASPPH’s groundbreaking AI chatbot, built in just eight weeks, and the intentional, human-centered approach behind it. Jamie dives into how associations can responsibly adopt AI, the importance of curated and trusted content, and how vertical AI models can combat misinformation in complex fields like public health.

The conversation also covers leadership philosophy, including servant leadership, psychological safety, and building high-performing “one-pizza teams” that can move quickly without losing alignment. Jamie offers a forward-looking perspective on how AI and agentic AI will reshape associations, emphasizing augmentation over replacement and the need for strong critical thinking in an AI-driven world.

00:00 Welcome and Introduction

00:01 Rapid Fire Questions

02:00 Jamie’s Career Journey and Path into Technology

05:00 Transition from Program Work to Digital Innovation Leadership

07:00 Building High-Performing “One-Pizza Teams”

09:00 Inside the AI Chatbot Project (8-Week Build)

12:00 Team Structure, AWS Partnership, and Knowledge Transfer

13:00 From Problem to Solution: Why a Chatbot?

14:30 Responsible and Ethical AI in Public Health

17:00 Guardrails, Curated Content, and Vertical AI Models

18:00 Data Considerations and Content Strategy

20:00 Member Feedback and Adoption of AI Tools

21:30 Human-Centered Design vs. Over-Reliance on AI

23:00 Broader AI Strategy and Task Force Initiatives

26:00 Building a Digital Innovation Team in Associations

29:00 Bridging Business Strategy and Technology Execution

32:00 Future Trends: AI, Agentic AI, and Workforce Impact

36:00 Servant Leadership and Building Trust in Teams

39:00 Culture, Collaboration, and Crisis Response in Tech Teams

40:00 AWTC Recognition and Team Success

42:00 Aligning Personal Values with Organizational Mission

44:00 Where to Learn More About ASPPH’s AI Initiatives

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Dana Kohli, Vice President of Client Solutions at DelCor Technology Solutions and recent AWTC award winner, for a conversation about leadership, partnerships, and the evolving role of technology in associations.

Dana shares her career journey from music educator to association technology leader, and how her people-first approach has shaped her work helping organizations solve complex challenges. The conversation explores emerging trends in the association space, including data strategy, CEO involvement in technology decisions, system selection evolution, and the growing importance of change management.

We also dive into the human side of technology, from building authentic partnerships to asking tough questions and creating space for meaningful collaboration. Dana shares insights on daily wins, leadership moments, and why the most successful technology initiatives always come back to people.

Throughout the conversation, we reflect on how associations are balancing innovation with practicality, navigating security and automation challenges, and embracing what Dana calls “good old-fashioned leadership” in a rapidly changing digital landscape.

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Erica Salm Rench, Chief Marketing Officer at Sidecar, to explore how associations can move beyond AI buzzwords and into meaningful adoption. Erica shares her career journey from digital marketing to leading AI-driven innovation in the association space, along with the experiences that shaped her approach to technology, community, and leadership.

We dive into practical strategies for AI adoption, including building a culture of experimentation, creating internal learning cohorts, and identifying workflows ripe for automation. Erica also discusses the growing role of agents, the balance between personalization and privacy, and how associations can use data more effectively to improve member engagement.

Throughout the conversation, Erica highlights the importance of collaboration, curiosity, and continuous learning as associations navigate rapid technological change. She also shares insights from her work at Sidecar, emerging trends in AI, and what leaders should focus on today to prepare their organizations for the future.

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we welcome Ravi Rooprai, Director of IT and PMO at the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT). Ravi shares his unique journey from molecular microbiology and pharmaceutical consulting into association technology leadership, bringing a scientific mindset to digital transformation and innovation.

The conversation explores how MDRT is modernizing association technology by decoupling legacy systems, building scalable data ecosystems, and experimenting with AI-driven personalization. Ravi explains how his team approaches technology through experimentation, feasibility studies, and agile thinking to improve member experiences and operational efficiency.

We also dive into MDRT’s cutting-edge meeting technology, including large-scale multilingual interpretation powered by AI and the infrastructure required to support thousands of attendees simultaneously streaming translated sessions. Ravi discusses how associations can better leverage data, personalization, and experimentation to drive engagement, retention, and measurable member value.

From building a culture of innovation to applying e-commerce thinking to membership value, this episode offers practical insights for association leaders navigating digital transformation.

00:01:00 Introduction to Ravi Rooprai and MDRT
00:01:30 Rapid Fire Questions
00:02:40 Ravi’s Career Journey from Science to Association Technology
00:04:30 Lessons from Industry Applied to Associations
00:05:30 Using ROI and Value Metrics in Association Technology Decisions
00:07:00 Measuring Member Lifetime Value
00:08:30 The Value of MDRT Membership for Financial Professionals
00:10:30 Reworking Legacy AMS Systems Through Decoupled Data Architecture
00:12:00 Building a Modern Data Ecosystem Around Legacy Platforms
00:13:30 Scaling Membership Systems to Handle Peak Demand
00:14:45 Managing 60–70K Membership Applications During Renewal Season
00:16:00 Leveraging AI and Technology at Large Global Conferences
00:17:00 Simultaneous Translation and Multilingual Meeting Experiences
00:18:30 Solving Conference Connectivity and Infrastructure Challenges
00:20:00 Improving the Member Experience Through Technology
00:21:00 Favorite Tools: AI, Copilot, and Power Apps
00:23:30 Empowering Staff to Experiment with Technology
00:24:30 Personalization and Data-Driven Engagement
00:26:00 Using Engagement Data to Shape Event Programming
00:28:00 The Future of Digital Transformation in Associations
00:29:00 Applying a Scientific Mindset to Technology Innovation
00:31:00 Building a Culture of Experimentation and Safe Failure
00:33:00 Feasibility Studies and Agile Technology Testing
00:35:00 Applying E-commerce Thinking to Membership Value
00:37:00 The Future of AI and Meeting Technology at MDRT
00:39:00 Rethinking the Conference Experience
00:40:00 Closing Thoughts

On this episode of The Association Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Mike Moyer, Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). Mike shares his journey from wrestling coach to leading the NWCA, detailing the organization's mission to develop transformational coaches and advocate for wrestler safety through groundbreaking initiatives such as the creation of a weight management system. We delve into NWCA's innovative strategies, including coaching development programs and the Wrestlers in Business Network (WIBN), which connects wrestlers with career opportunities. Mike also highlights the challenges and triumphs of expanding wrestling programs nationwide and the critical role of technology in achieving their goals.