Author: John Barnes

President at Barnes Association Consultants

John Barnes is president of Barnes Association Consultants. Barnes Association Consultants helps association boards and CEOs address the wide range of challenges and opportunities facing today’s association leaders. Services include strategic planning, board development and work management, and governance review and improvements. Before launching Barnes Association Consultants, John was CEO at the American Physical Therapy Association.  John worked closely with the APTA Board and Directors and was responsible for the management of the association. Previous to serving as CEO at APTA, John worked at the American Academy of Dermatology as their Deputy Executive Director. John was a leader in all aspects of managing the organization. John has extensive public policy experience through his years serving on Capitol Hill.  John was Chief of Staff to Congressman Greg Ganske of Iowa, where he managed and directed congressional offices in Washington and Iowa. He also served as Special Assistant for Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa.

John is a member of the American Society of Association Executives, Association Forum, BoardSource and the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce.

Apr
03

Association Board Leaders: Move Gracefully Off the Scene

Grace (ɡrās). Noun. A way of moving that is smooth and attractive. A controlled, polite, and pleasant way of behaving in social situations. ————— As a former association leader, you need to move gracefully off the scene. You have played a leadership role at your association. Maybe as the President, or Treasurer or Member of […]

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Mar
01

Before They Get Away: Board Member Exit Interviews

An association volunteer has committed four years of their professional life to serving on your association’s board of directors. They have been involved in the most important decisions that your association has faced over the last four years. They have held innumerable conversations with your association’s members. They have interacted with the association staff and have […]

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Sep
12

4 things your association volunteers want

Every association struggles with identifying and recruiting volunteers, then putting them to work on meaningful tasks. To improve how you seek out volunteers, look at it from their perspective: What do potential volunteers want? What will encourage them to lend their skills to your association? Each potential volunteer is unique and should be treated as […]

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Jul
24

How to bring strategy to your association’s relationships

You have to work with groups outside your association to further the goals of your association. Almost every association recognizes this, and almost every association conducts an array of meetings and activities with external groups … but many do not connect these activities to the strategic plan of their association. If you don’t have a […]

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