Nikki Belmonte is the Executive Director of Atlanta Audubon Society, a Georgia nonprofit organization providing on-the-ground conservation and citizen science programs and educational programming through the lens of birds and their habitats. Nikki began as the education coordinator in 2010 and moved into the organization's first full-time executive director position in 2013. Prior to Atlanta Audubon, Nikki was a science lab teacher for Cobb County Schools and a naturalist at Sawnee Mountain Preserve in Forsyth County. Learn more about Nikki here. 

Cost
GSAE Members - $39 Early Bird ($49 after February 15)
Guests - $49 Early Bird ($59 after February 15)

Thank you to our Sponsor: Chattanooga Convention & Visitors Bureau	Thank you to our AV Sponsor: PRG

Marianne Greer, Cruise and Event Manager, is delighted to announce that with the recent purchase of the River Street Marketplace, River Street Riverboat Company now has two boats permanently docked on River Street: the 650-passenger River Queen and the 1,000-passenger Georgia Queen. With both boats now easily accessible, the company will be able to accommodate more groups and in many cases reduce the minimums for private charters.

Mark Sedgley, President & CEO, and his team at MemberClicks (including Spence Downs, Erin Hall, CAE and Callie Walker) are thrilled with their new office space! They remain in Piedmont Center, but have moved over to Building 11, Suite 800.

Missy Brandt Wilson, MBA, Area Director of Sales, McNeill Hotel Company, is delighted to announce the opening of the Homewood Suites in Athens on Friday, November 23. The new hotel brings 130 suites to Athens to serve the local convention and university markets, as well as leisure tourists experiencing the music scene and other popular pursuits. Guests will experience a complimentary daily full hot breakfast, evening reception, Wi-Fi and even a grocery shopping service. The hotel also has an outdoor kitchen and grill area, fitness center and game room along with 963 square feet of flexible space for meeting and social events.

Thank you for a great year! This digital edition exclusive showcases the best-of-the-best for 2018. Check out these and other top articles from connections magazine:

• Moving a Convention with Two Week’s Notice
• Rethinking Where and How We Work
• What to Do First in an Active Security Threat

• April 17 Quarterly Luncheon at DoubleTree by Hilton Atlanta Perimeter Dunwoody sponsored by Jekyll Island Authority
• July 10 Summer Luncheon at Renaissance Atlanta Midtown
• September 18 Quarterly Luncheon, The Abit Massey Lecture Series featuring GSAE past president Cynthia Mills, FASAE,CAE, CMC, CPC, CCRC, sponsored by Discover Dunwoody
• Date Change: November 6 Quarterly Luncheon sponsored by Richmond Regional Tourism
• December 11 Holiday Luncheon, Awards Show, Silent Auction & Annual Business Meeting

Please contact us ASAP if your property would like to host a luncheon and show off your meeting space in 2019!

• Begins July 10 before the summer luncheon, then meets via ZOOM through the end of August
• $79 for GSAE members
• Includes Review session and Mock CAE Exam
• Based on ASAE’s Study Guide
• Alternate CAE courses are available at the member price in partnership with Michigan Society of Association Executives

GSAE is delighted to announce our partnership with Association Laboratory, a full-service research and consulting firm serving the association industry. Association Laboratory is offering GSAE members a 25 percent discount on access to their outstanding research analysis and content through webinars, white papers, and in-person educational events. Register or purchase using the code GEORGIA25. 

• Webinar Wednesday - January 23 at 1 p.m. EST: Click HERE for more info.
• 2nd Annual Membership and Engagement Summit: Click HERE for more info. Dates are February 19 in Washington, DC, and February 26 in Chicago, IL.
• Blog: "From My Seat at the Bar" - 4 Association CEO Predictions for 2019: Click HERE to read (for free).

Live webinars are worth 1 CAE hour. Did you know? More than 94 CAE-qualifying recorded webinars are available 24/7 on our GSAE website. 

• January 17 - Key Interests-Based Advocacy: Simple Steps to Strategic Targeting
• January 31 - The Big Ask - How Storytelling Can Get You What You Want
• February 12 - We Want You Back: Tools to Regain Lapsed Members
• February 27 - Hiring Interns 101 - Developing a Sustainable Internship Program
• March 27 - An Inclusive Society - Under Construction

We have partnered with culture consulting firm Human Workplaces to bring you a special private, discounted edition of two of their most popular online on-demand courses, Managing Conflict with Confidence and Generational Differences in the Workplace. Taught by culture expert Jamie Notter, each of these courses contain a series of videos, quizzes for testing comprehension, with accompanying handouts and resources. They can be taken individually, or in a small group watching the videos in a room together. They are on-demand, meaning you can take them on your own schedule - all in one day, spread out over a couple weeks, or however you want. Learn more here and register today!

These editions of the courses are for the GSAE community exclusively! More details can be found (including some freely viewable content for you to explore) via the course link. Appropriate CAE hours will be awarded upon completion of coursework and quizzes through GSAE.

Any organization in Georgia that employs at least one GSAE member may apply. The applications are due May 1 and will be judged on the quality of the internship experience described in the application rather than on the qualifications of the student who will fill the internship. It is the responsibility of the organization to recruit a qualified student to fill the internship, but this may be done after the GSAE Foundation announces which applications will be funded. Watch this video and visit GSAE.org to learn more about the internship grant program. And, please consider making a donation to the GSAE Foundation.

The Tax Exempt Association Group will meet January 29 at Maggiano's in Buckhead for their monthly meeting: "Update on Uncertain Tax Issues Impacting Nonprofits from the 2017 Tax Reform Act," with Colin E. Blalock, Jones and Kolb. The cost per person is $25. RSVP by noon on January 24 to Molly Amos at mca@joneskolb.com or (404) 262-7920. 

This year, the Power of A is celebrating 10 years of communicating how associations are essential to a stronger America and world. Since its creation in 2009, the Power of A has served the association community by educating policymakers and others about our collective efforts to strengthen lives, the economy, the workforce, and our safety and security.  

ASAE created the Power of A Awards to showcase how associations leverage their unique resources to solve problems, advance industry/professional performance, kickstart innovation and improve world conditions. Associations are involved in activities every day that make a substantial, positive impact on our lives. The application deadline for the Power of A Awards is April 30, 2019.

Over the past three years, Extraordinary CEO nonprofit leadership blog has become a rich reservoir of practical, high-level content in the form of articles and podcasts dealing with nonprofit board and CEO leadership. You’ll find a complete listing of blog posts here. You can make this content available to your members in two ways:

• Share links to particular blog posts by running them on your web site and/or sending them to your members. 
• Reprint blog posts in one or more of your publications - with permission granted by doug@dougeadie.com or (800) 209-7652.