From the Executive Director: National Office Updates

I feel like I say this every year around this time, but can you believe it’s almost August? That means the fall semester is right around the corner. And though I am writing this column during a time of brutal heat and humidity in Washington, DC, due to climate change and corn sweat, the work of the National Office continues to progress towards the Annual Convention and build on advancing NCA’s Strategic Plan.  

It goes without saying, but this work would not happen without the steadfast dedication of the National Office staff. We have an incredible group of professionals in place who are strategically building a foundation to ensure the stability of the Association for years to come. Below is a glimpse of NCA staff operations and just a few of the many great things underway at the National Office. 

Convention and Meetings 

If you’ve registered for the convention, you’ve most likely noticed the portal has significantly upgraded functionality and ease of flow for registrants. This is, in large part, due to the fantastic work of the dedicated two-person convention team.  

As the Director of Conventions and Meetings, LaShawn Duckett, CMP, CAE, has worked countless hours since January to ensure the best member experience possible. LaShawn has overseen all aspects of the Denver convention and is already neck-deep in planning the 2026 convention in New Orleans with our Second Vice President, Shaunak Sastry. She has shown grace and extreme patience in times of frustration while building the submission and registration processes and continues to assert herself as one of the top event planners in the DMV.  

As of July 28, we have over 200 convention registrants with only minor glitches. Overall, the launch of a new registration portal has been a complete success. This could not have been accomplished without the tireless work of NCA’s Convention and Meetings Associate Aliyah Hayman. With little to no training on building the convention portal, Aliyah worked with our IT support group and built from scratch a portal that is elegantly displayed and easy to navigate. Aliyah built this portal while scheduling over 900 program slots to ensure as few conflicts as possible. I cannot thank her enough for stepping up and completing this work.  

Research and Academic Affairs 

When the Executive Committee asked me in October of last year to develop a clear vision for staff to build and execute the Strategic Plan, I quickly settled on the idea of Communication Community. Within that vision is Enhancing Member Value. This is where the two-person Research and Academic Affairs team comes into play. I have asked a lot from them, and they continue to build value and create spaces for research, learning, and pedagogy.  

Dane Claussen, NCA’s Director of Research, Publications, and Professional Advancement, has committed his time and energy to ensuring vital programs (grants, publications, online resources) occur while strategically planning numerous enhancements to the website. I am particularly excited about Dane working with numerous members to revamp the Foundational Course resources and the history of NCA on the website. He and I are also working to reimagine the Chairs’ Summer Institute into a network space for chairs beyond a two-day event. More on that in the months to come.  

Likewise, Rachael Purtell, NCA’s Research Associate, has done a spectacular job coordinating our Virtual Learning Opportunities (VLOs), ensuring a professional experience for attendees. She also does a fantastic job as project lead on grant submissions. 

Governance 

Governance holds a special place in my heart because I oversaw every aspect of it from 2017 to 2024. It’s the foundation of the Association, providing stability and necessary change through resolutions, bylaws changes, policy changes, and public statements. NCA has a wonderful two-person team that is doing a stupendous job learning the ropes and thinking through ways to create conditions to support and empower members and enhance IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access). 

If you applied for an Interest Group award this year, you may have noticed that the nomination process goes through NCA’s awards portal. The policy for this shift was approved by the Executive Committee in 2023, but Jennifer Fletcher, NCA’s Organizational Development Manager, had to coordinate with 69 Interest Groups and build the portal from scratch. Building something like this is never easy. There are always glitches and coordination issues. BUT, Jennifer has done a spectacular job ensuring roughly 700 nominations were submitted. The review process is ongoing and everything is on track for awards to be presented in November.  

Monica Yang, NCA’s Strategic Projects Associate, has done a wonderful job working with me to coordinate and track goals and strategic planning efforts from NCA’s five councils. This is something that has not been done in my tenure at NCA, and I cannot thank Monica enough for keeping me on track and helping the Association build something lasting.  

Communications and Membership 

It’s been a few years since NCA has had a fully operational communications team. But with the recent addition of Alexis Rice, NCA’s Director of Communications and Membership, the Association has an expert in leading strategic communications, multi-channel marketing, and digital engagement. If you follow us on NCA, you may have noticed a bit of an uptick in our posting. Plan to see more of this leading up to the convention.  

Alexis has done an exceptional job coordinating the efforts of the communications team, including Patrick West, NCA’s Web and Digital Strategy Manager, and Annie Stephens, NCA’s Communications Assistant. Patrick has worked diligently to ensure a seamless transition to our new website and is working tirelessly with Alexis in ongoing efforts to add resources and increase the member experience when browsing. Annie has done a wonderful job building member emails and ensuring COMMNotes are sent to more than 12,000 individuals five times a week.  

On the membership side, Brianne Haynes, NCA’s Membership Associate, was thrown into the proverbial fire when she began working at NCA a couple of months ago. Her calm demeanor and superb responsiveness to member inquiries have proven to be exactly what NCA needs as we gear towards peak renewal season in August and September.  

Finance and Administration 

Any well-functioning association has an incredible administrative staff that serves vital roles, and NCA is no different. Bianca Bush, NCA’s Office Administrator, oversees operations of the national office building in Washington, DC. This is no easy task when talking about a row house over 100 years old. She also does a great job overseeing various IT needs. Penelope Durham, NCA’s Finance Administrator, helps ensure bills get paid and payments/check requests are fulfilled. NCA is lucky to have Bianca and Pene on staff.  

As we continue to build on the Association’s mission and the goals within the Strategic Plan, I encourage you to contact any of NCA’s excellent staff if you are in need of assistance. They’re here to help. Let’s continue moving forward together.