Anne Cordes, MBA CAE

A certified association executive, Anne Cordes holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with concentrations in finance, economics, and marketing. She brings a wealth of experience in both for-profit and not-for-profit arenas, having worked in a fast-paced corporate environment and also with several associations as executive director.

It was as a volunteer leader that Anne became fascinated by the skills needed to work successfully in groups. “Ironically, it is in organizations that ostensibly bring together people with common interests that decision-making can be the most difficult,” Anne observes. “Members of associations, for example, often expect to share the same interests and values, so when they don’t see eye to eye, it can be quite stressful.”

The key to success, Anne believes, lies in the best practices of association management that AMC promotes, starting with strategic planning that in turn drives budgeting, staffing, agenda setting, and decision making. “The beauty of a good strategic plan is that day-to-day decisions can be based on where the organization wants to go, not on personalities and emotions,” she says.

Anne often cites management guru Peter Drucker. “He introduced the idea that not-for-profit corporations are businesses too, and directors of non-profit boards need to operate in a business-like manner,” she says. “We find that association leaders are very eager to hear this, and to learn about everything from fiduciary responsibility to how to run effective meetings.”

Anne is proud of her track record of leading organizations from near-insolvency to record levels of reserves, and building associations’ financial strength through organizational assessment, creative strategic planning, and prudent management. She shares her skills and experience with AMC’s clients and also with other organizations as a consultant in the broader association community.