Lisa Furfine is the Associate Publisher of SportsTravel magazine.

She is responsible for marketing and key relationships for SportsTravel magazine. She is also the show manager for the annual TEAMS Conference & Expo.

Lisa currently serves as the vice-chair of the Destination Marketing Association International Allied Member Advisory Council and serves on DMAI’s Advocacy Committee. Her 20 years of experience includes fundraising for foundations and promotion of professional athletes. Her background also includes advertising agency work for sports- and travel-related clients, including Anheuser-Busch Inc.

She can be reached by e-mail at Lisa.Furfine@SchneiderPublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

Ilana Edell is the advertising & marketing sales manager for SportsTravel and the TEAMS Conference & Expo responsible for the Western U.S. and Canada.

Ilana is a 2007 graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and contributed regularly to the university’s broadcast and online news outlets. Ilana’s previous experience includes working in the media relations departments for the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Desperados, as well as Fox 5 New York’s “Good Day New York.”

Since joining our company in September 2007, Ilana’s energy and enthusiasm have quickly made her a highly valued team member while her winning personality and love of sports have helped her inform advertisers and prospective advertisers about the value of SportsTravel and the TEAMS Conference & Expo.

Ilana can be reached toll-free at (877) 577-3700 or by e-mail at ilana.edell@schneiderpublishing.com

Martha Romero Villaseñor is the office manager for Schneider Publishing. She will be celebrating her 15th anniversary with the company in January.

A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, Martha holds a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in International Business. In addition to a variety of daily operational responsibilities at Schneider Publishing, Martha serves as the conference registrar for the annual TEAMS Conference & Expo.

Her dedication and in-depth knowledge of the company make her a valuable member of our team.

She can be reached by e-mail at Martha.Romero@SchneiderPublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

Hagit Worona is the Art Director for Schneider Publishing. Hagit joined the company in October 2006 and brings a wide range of creative talents to our staff.

In addition to working in the publishing industry for more than 25 years and earning several fine art degrees, Hagit has been invited by several galleries and venues to exhibit her art. Her previous experience includes working in the art departments of Entrepreneur magazine, Teleflora, Cannon Communications and 101 Communications.

She can be reached by e-mail at Hagit.Worona@SchneiderPublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

Jason Gewirtz joined the compnay in May 2008 and is the managing editor of SportsTravel.

A veteran of daily journalism, Jason worked eight years for the Long Beach Press-Telegram, where he started as a staff writer and was promoted to the position of city and business editor. He also spent two years as the executive editor in charge of city and business coverage for the Press-Telegram.

Jason graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder and has won numerous awards as both a writer and editor.

By combining his love of writing and editing with his passion for sports, Jason helps us continue to increase the depth and breadth of the editorial content of SportsTravel.

He can be reached by e-mail at Jason.Gewirtz@SchneiderPublishing.com or toll-free at (877) 577-3700.

Ann Shepphird is the editor of Association News and recently celebrated her 17th anniversary with our company.

In her time with Schneider Publishing, Ann has overseen major improvements in the design and content of Association News, served as a founding editorial staffer on SportsTravel magazine and provided leadership for both our editorial and art departments.

A fourth-generation native of California, Ann holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications Studies and a master’s degree in Film & Television from UCLA. Prior to joining us, she worked as an associate at a private investigation firm, as an instructor at UCLA and Orange Coast College and as a production assistant on the television show “Hotel.”

Her real-life hospitality industry experience includes a high school job as a night housekeeper and brunch-time Belgian Waffle Girl at the Marriott in Newport Beach. Ann’s travels have taken her to five of the seven continents. Her keen and creative mind helps keep Association News—now in its 35th year—fresh and on the cutting edge.

She can be reached toll-free at (877) 577-3700 or by e-mail at ann.shepphird@schneiderpublishing.com.

Based on my experience working with associations of various types over the years, I believe there are discernable stages in the life cycle of a person who volunteers to serve in association leadership positions. Association executives who become attuned to the phases that typify volunteer service are more likely to be able to direct and maximize the contributions of their volunteer leaders.

Stage 1: The eager recruit. Whether they’re recruited by the association’s paid staff or a fellow member—or they nominate themselves—new board members typically consider their selection a personal compliment and a professional accomplishment. It is not unusual, then, that the new board members’ enthusiasm will be greatest during the first year of board service. That’s unfortunate because this period of greatest energy is typically the stage during which board members are least familiar with their duties and responsibilities. It is, however, an excellent time to involve them with activities that require an extra measure of energy, such as committee leadership or fundraising activities.

Stage 2: The productive board member. By the time volunteers enter the second year of board service, they typically begin to operate in a comfort zone in terms of their understanding of both the association and their role as volunteer leaders. In their second year, board members should be providing a clearer picture of whether or not they’re suited to serve on the association’s executive committee. Even if they do not display the potential for executive committee service, it is usually during this stage that dependable, reliable board members make their greatest contributions to advancing the association.

Stage 3: Dialed in or burned out? Board members who ascend to executive committee service or through some other provision of the bylaws manage to continue serving for more than three years are likely to head in one of two directions: extremely valuable to the organization or extremely disruptive. Board members who have racked up four, five or more years of service to the association become a repository of institutional knowledge—good and bad—and tend to be more likely to meddle in the day-to-day management of the association (an area that should be off-limits in a well-run organization). For this reason, special attention needs to be paid to long-termers so that the weight they’ve accumulated by virtue of their service continues to help propel the association rather than drag it down.

As always, the astute association executive will place a high priority on managing the relationship with the volunteer board. Special emphasis needs to be placed on board-member recruitment and board-member training (it should occur shortly after a board member’s selection) so that stages 1 and 2 can occur concurrently. Attention should also be paid to the association’s bylaws as they relate to the length of board terms. One-year terms are, in my opinion, too short. Anything more than three years, however, tends to lead to the problems identified in stage 3.

Our wish for you this holiday season is that you successfully negotiate the challenging terrain that is association management in the year ahead. Thank you for reading Association News!

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company

The American Society of Association Exec-utives is seeking comment from the association community on a set of new proposals that would restrict government employees from attending “widely attended gatherings” held by trade associations. According to ASAE, the proposed regulations seek to prohibit any government employee from attending a trade association event, accepting gifts (even if the value is less than the currently allowed $20) or attending a social gathering if that association employs a registered lobbyist.

ASAE has prepared an analysis of the proposed regulations, which you can read here. The group is also gathering feedback from the association community in anticipation of preparing its official response. I encourage you to share your views with ASAE by e-mailing rhay@asaenet.org or calling (202) 626-2788.

Tim Schneider
Schneider Publishing Company

SportsTravel magazine announced the winners of the 2011 SportsTravel Awards at the TEAMS ’11 Conference & Expo on October 6 in Las Vegas. TEAMS: Travel, Events And Management in Sports, is the world’s largest gathering of event organizers and travel planners from the sports industry. The 2011 Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana, won as Sports Event of the Year.

The SportsTravel Award winners were nominated and voted upon by readers of SportsTravel, the sports world’s event magazine. To be eligible, events had to occur between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011. Criteria for nomination and voting included:

• Superior organization of and attendance at the event
• The event provided a superior experience for competitors and/or spectators
• The event’s host city or venue served to enhance the event

“We are pleased to recognize these superior sporting events. Each of the winners is a prime example of achieving excellence in organization and management for both competitors and spectators,” said Timothy Schneider, publisher of SportsTravel magazine, which organizes the annual TEAMS Conference and Expo.

“The SportsTravel Awards program is an opportunity for our readers to honor their peers for a job well done,” said Schneider. “Our readers are the leaders of the sports-event industry, and they really know what it takes to execute high-quality athletic events. These awards reflect their expert evaluation of what makes events superior.”

The ballot included nominees at the amateur, collegiate and professional levels in three categories each. Each event’s host city was also acknowledged during the awards ceremony.

The 2011 SportsTravel Award winners are:

• Sports Event of the Year

2011 Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana

• Best New Sports Event

2011 PBR Last Cowboy Standing in Las Vegas, Nevada

• Best Professional Sports Event Series or Circuit

2011 NFL Playoffs in Various Cities

• Best Professional Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event

2011 Winter X Games 15 in Aspen, Colorado

• Best Professional Single-Sport Event

2011 Indy 500 in Indianapolis, Indiana

• Best Collegiate Sports Event Series or Circuit

2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in Various Cities

• Best Collegiate Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event

2011 NCAA Outdoor Track-and-Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa

• Best Collegiate Single-Sport Event

2011 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California

• Best Amateur Sports Event Series or Circuit

2011 Tough Mudder Series in Various Cities

• Best Amateur Multi-Sport or Multi-Discipline Event

2011 National Senior Games in Houston, Texas

• Best Amateur Single-Sport Event

2011 ABA BMX Midwest Nationals in Rockford, Illinois

The TEAMS Conference & Expo is organized by Schneider Publishing, the Los Angeles-based company that publishes SportsTravel and Association News magazines. For further information on the TEAMS Conference & Expo, please visit TEAMSconference.com or call toll-free (877) 577-3700.

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TEAMS: Travel, Events And Management in Sports is the annual conference and trade show for the global sports-event and travel industries. Established in 1998, TEAMS is the world’s largest gathering of sports-event organizers. For further information on the TEAMS Conference & Expo, please call toll-free (877) 577-3700 or visit SchneiderPublishing.com.

SportsTravel is the sports world’s event magazine. Founded in 1997, SportsTravel was the first magazine to identify and serve the sports-related travel and event industry. Published 10 times a year, SportsTravel is the authoritative source of information for those responsible for deciding where sporting events are held and travel planning for sports-related groups. The readers of SportsTravel generate 47 million hotel room nights annually. For more information, visit the magazine’s website at SportsTravelMagazine.com.

SportsTravel and TEAMS are registered trademarks of Los Angeles-based Schneider Publishing Company, Inc. For further information on advertising or sponsorship opportunities, please call toll-free (877) 577-3700 or +1 (310) 577-3700 if calling from outside the U.S.A.