Author: Colleen Gallagher

This author has written 168 articles
Read more about the article Designing Professional Development That Actually Meets Member Needs

Designing Professional Development That Actually Meets Member Needs

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, recorded on the show floor at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Tanika Coates, Director of Professional Development at the American Society for Cell Biology, to explore how associations can create more meaningful professional development experiences for members at every stage of their careers. Tanika shares how associations can move beyond one-size-fits-all programming by using data to better understand member needs, reimagining existing content and designing learning experiences with accessibility and inclusion built in from the start.

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Read more about the article From Joining to Staying: Rethinking Younger Professional Engagement

From Joining to Staying: Rethinking Younger Professional Engagement

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, we kick off our September series focused on how associations can better attract, engage and retain younger professionals—powered by our partners at Highland. Our guest is Jon Berbaum, President of Highland, who joins host Colleen Gallagher to explore why younger professional engagement has become an association-wide strategic issue—and why getting someone to join is only the beginning. If your association is working hard to attract younger professionals but struggling to keep them, this conversation is for you.

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Read more about the article From Career Support to Career Partnership: Rethinking the Role of Associations

From Career Support to Career Partnership: Rethinking the Role of Associations

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with David Whited, Principal, Research & Strategy at Highland, to explore how associations can move beyond providing products and services to become essential career partners for their members. David shares why strong resources alone aren’t enough—and how associations can create greater value by understanding where members are in their careers, anticipating what they need, and showing up at the moments that matter. Whether you lead membership, strategy, marketing, or the organization as a whole, this conversation offers a thought-provoking look at how associations can deepen member relationships and become more essential throughout a professional’s career.

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Read more about the article Scaling Impact: How Small Teams Can Build Big Programs

Scaling Impact: How Small Teams Can Build Big Programs

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, recorded on the show floor at the 2026 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis, O&U’s Meghan Henning sits down with Gail R. Kulp, M.Ed., CAE, Executive Director of the Sea Tow Foundation, to talk about scaling programs, empowering partners and creating meaningful impact with a small team. The Sea Tow Foundation’s Life Jacket Loaner Program has grown to more than 1,500 loaner stations nationwide, and Gail shares the systems behind that growth – from making participation easy to using data and reporting to continually strengthen the program.

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Read more about the article Building a Stronger Association: Lessons in Growth, Culture, and Leadership

Building a Stronger Association: Lessons in Growth, Culture, and Leadership

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, to explore what it takes to build sustainable growth in today's association landscape. Since becoming CEO in 2022, Phil has led USA Fencing through significant membership, club, and revenue growth while positioning the organization for the opportunities surrounding the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games. But as Phil explains, lasting success isn't built around one marquee moment—it's built through member listening, strong local communities, creative partnerships, and a culture of trust. Whether you're focused on growing membership, diversifying revenue, or strengthening member engagement, this episode is full of practical ideas association leaders can put to work.

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Read more about the article From Data Rich to Insight Driven: Building Smarter Association Strategies

From Data Rich to Insight Driven: Building Smarter Association Strategies

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher welcomes Denny Lengkong, President of IntelliData, back to the podcast to explore one of the biggest challenges facing associations today: turning mountains of data into meaningful decisions. While many organizations have more data than ever before, few are fully leveraging it to drive strategy. Denny shares practical advice on how association leaders can move beyond reporting, ask better questions, prepare their organizations for AI, and build a data culture that supports smarter decision-making—not just more dashboards. Whether you're just beginning your data journey or looking to make AI work more effectively for your organization, this episode offers practical, actionable insights for association leaders at every stage.

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Read more about the article Fighting Misinformation with Trust: How Associations Can Leverage Influencer Marketing

Fighting Misinformation with Trust: How Associations Can Leverage Influencer Marketing

In this episode of The Association Insights Podcast powered by OnWrd & UpWrd, host Colleen Gallagher sits down with Candice Warltier, CEO & Founding Partner of CS-Effect, to explore how associations can use trusted voices to combat misinformation, educate new audiences, and strengthen their credibility in an increasingly noisy digital landscape. Drawing from CS-Effect's award-winning work with the American Association of Endodontists (AAE), Candice shares how a strategic influencer campaign helped counter myths about root canals by partnering with respected physicians, pediatricians, and healthcare content creators—not to promote products, but to deliver science-based education people could trust. Whether you're leading communications, marketing, membership, or advocacy, this episode offers practical insights into how associations can thoughtfully incorporate influencer marketing to expand their reach, build trust, and engage the next generation.

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