Forty-three leaders from 25 affiliated GCSAA chapters enhanced their leadership skills by attending the 2024 GCSAA Chapter Leader/Executive Symposium, March 19-20 at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan.

The symposium is funded, in part, by the Williams Leadership Endowment Fund through the GCSAA Foundation.

This annual event brings chapter volunteer leaders and staff to GCSAA headquarters for the opportunity to strengthen each chapter’s leadership team, build on successes and learn new concepts and ideas to support chapter effectiveness. GCSAA’s 94 affiliated chapters in North America are vital to the association’s success.

Attendees participate in sessions focused on volunteer and association management topics and network with their peers from other chapters and GCSAA staff. A key component of the event is an opportunity to learn directly from GCSAA staff about programs and services GCSAA can provide to assist in chapter operations.

The event’s first day included updates on GCSAA, regional advocacy efforts and an interactive session on working with different personalities by Amy Leslie, CEO of Perspective Consulting. The group also heard the latest trends in cybersecurity and how to avert potential hackers. Attendees participated in breakout sessions to discuss association management operations, recruiting and retaining chapter board members, and how to engage more members.

Day two provided key information from the GCSAA Foundation, the Rounds 4 Research program and leadership training. In addition, attendees met recently elected board member Greg Jones, CGCS, MG. The event concluded with an interactive session on working in group settings, handling difficult conversations and ensuring organization success, which was conducted by Mark Norman, professional leadership consultant and training professional with The Differentiate Group.

The entire event was well received by attendees with post-event survey comments that included “I had a great experience with lots of information that I did not know about that I can take back to my board” and “The speakers were fantastic!”