Executive of the Year Award

Each year the Southeastern Association Executive Magazine pays tribute to one outstanding association leader. This executive must exemplify dedication, leadership and excellence in management. He or she must demonstrate a sense of purpose and ambition tempered by regard for association members and for society in general.

2006

Elizabeth Taylor-Creed is the first female executive director of the Southern Council of Optometrists and SECO. She has served as an exemplar of dedication to membership and staff, and during her time as executive director, SECO International has grown steadily in quality and attendance. Throughout her career, she has reduced costs and improved staff skill levels at all of the organizations for which she has worked. Taylor-Creed is currently a member of the Georgia Society of Association Executives, as well as the American Society of Association Executives and the International Association for Exhibition Management. This award is not the first with which Taylor-Creed has been honored. In the July 17, 2006, issue of Vision Monday, Taylor-Creed was cited as one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Optical.”

2005

Richard Maladecki, CAE, is president of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association. His long history of service within the nonprofit sector is characterized by fiscal responsibility and tireless leadership. He has consistently erased debt for every association he has led, at the same time strengthening fund surplus and revenue-generating programs. He serves in volunteer leadership positions on many boards including the Central Florida Blood Bank, the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida, and a regional Rotary Club. Maladecki is also an adjunct professor at the University of Central Florida, teaching graduate and undergraduate non-profit management classes.

2004

Executive director of the North Carolina Bar Association, Allan Head has served as association leadership since 1973. He is credited with numerous improvements and innovations within the NCBA, and his leadership is reckoned as unmatched in its effectiveness. He has notably focused on the needs of members, establishing divisions and sections in the NCBA to serve a broader variety of lawyers and expanding the availability of NCBA-sponsored continuing legal education programs. Head is also active in volunteer and charitable organizations, including the YMCA at regional and national levels and the Wachovia Board of Directors in Cary.

2003

Vikki McReynolds, executive director of the Georgia Utility Contractors Association, has dedicated herself to making a difference through non-profit work. She has increased membership in the association and raised its profile nationwide. Financially security for the association has also improved with McReynolds's non-dues income programs. Most importantly, she has improved the association's awareness of its members' needs so that it might better serve them through programming and representation. McReynolds is as proud to be executive director of GUCA as its members are to have her leading them.

2002

Thomas Dart, CAE, president of the Automobile Dealers Association of Alabama, has turned a love of politics into a successful career in association management. President and CEO of the ADAA since 1987, Dart has emphasized the importance of political action to the association's membership, and during his fifteen years with ADAA, its political action committee's annual donations have increased 1100%. He enjoys his time with state and national legislators, improving the business climate for his members.

2001

Lawrence Scovotto, CAE, is executive director of the Florida Fire Chiefs' Association and 2001 president of the Florida Society of Association Executives. With a background in customer service, Scovotto has distinguished himself as executive director of FFCA, receiving an award for his service during the Florida wildfires of 1998. He has also been instrumental in statewide efforts to raise money for the September 11th Fund. Other associations executives serving with him praise Scovotto for his forward-thinking action and dedication.

2000

Donna Ross, CAE, president and CEO of the Florida Attractions Association, has a long history of involvement in charitable organizations and trade associations. She has served as a volunteer with the National SIDS Foundation, but most recently she has been a part of the management of the FAA for 12 years. She is dedicated to promoting and advancing the interests of the Florida attraction industry while maintaining rigorous standards for safety and content. Ross was named “Executive of the Year” in 1998 by the Florida Society of Association Executives.

1999

Energetic and enthusiastic, Robert Authier, CAE, is the executive vice president of the Virginia Association of Realtors and the chairman of the strategic planning committee of the Virginia Society of Association Executives. As a member of the VSAE, Authier focuses on the growth of the organization and its utility to its members. He is also active in the community, serving on the executive board of the Robert E. Lee Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

1998

Cynthia Mills, CAE, is the executive director of Pilot International and its foundation in Macon. She has also been president of the Georgia Society of Association Executives. Mills has established an ethics program for the GSAE, unsurprising in one lauded for her integrity. She is dedicated to the community and is respected and well liked by her peers.