ASAE will honor Dr. Susan B. Waters, CAE, CEO of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA), with this year’s Key Award. The Key Award recognizes the association CEO who demonstrates exceptional qualities of leadership in his or her own association and displays a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations as a whole.

In addition, Larry Alexander, FASAE, President and CEO of Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be honored with the Academy of Leaders Award; and David Akridge, CAE, Deputy Executive Director of American Inns of Court Foundation, will receive the Professional Performance Award.

"Each of the honorees made significant contributions to the association community, and we are honored to recognize them for these prestigious individual awards. ASAE and the association community are privileged to be recipients of their talents, knowledge and leadership, and our community is richer because of their involvement," said Peter O’Neil, FASAE, CAE, Executive Director of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and chair of the 2013 Awards Committee.

Dr. Susan B. Waters, CAE is the 64th recipient of the Key Award, ASAE’s highest honor bestowed upon association chief staff executives, which started in 1960. Waters has served ASAE in a variety of roles for 22 years, and she has led associations representing the medical, legal and insurance industries. In 2002, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northern California Society of Association Executives. The Massachusetts Bar Foundation presented her with the "Great Friend of Justice" award in 2000.

The awards will be presented at the 2013 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition, August 3-6 in Atlanta, GA. 

ASAE is a membership organization of more than 21,000 association executives and industry partners representing 10,000 organizations. Its members manage leading trade associations, individual membership societies and voluntary organizations across the United States and in nearly 50 countries around the world. With support of the ASAE Foundation, a separate nonprofit entity, ASAE is the premier source of learning, knowledge and future-oriented research for the association and nonprofit profession, and provides resources, education, ideas and advocacy to enhance the power and performance of the association and nonprofit community. For more information about ASAE, visit www.asaecenter.org.