Wednesday, June 6, 2018
7:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m
9-hole scramble golf tournament
Come join WSAE members for a pre-conference meet and greet and 9-hole scramble golf tournament at the iconic Apple Tree Golf Course in Yakima. This event is dedicated to the art of the sport! We’ll start the morning with an etiquette lesson and swing tune up from golf pro Kevin Johnson, then we’ll play a quick 9 holes in a casual best-ball format. All skill levels are welcome! Prizes for best and worst team score! For more information or to register contact Jeff Bowe. Cost: $38.95 for 9 holes and a cart including tax.
7:45 am - 8:30 a.m “Ask The Pro” Meet & Greet with Kevin Johnson
8:30 a.m - 9:00 a.m. Warm Up
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Scheduled Tee Times
11:30a Option to continue playing full 18 holes (advance reservation required)
12:00 pm - 4:30 pm: Pre-Convention Deep Dive
Located at Treveri Cellars
Lunch included

Harnessing the Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results & Grow Deeper Relationships
Bev Parnell, MS Edu
Leadership Development Consultant
Among all the attributes of the greatest leaders of our time, one stands above the rest: They are all highly trusted. You can have a compelling vision, rock-solid strategy, excellent communication skills, innovative insight, and a skilled team, but if people don’t trust you, you will never get the results you want. Leaders who inspire trust garner better output, morale, retention, innovation, loyalty, and revenue. Mistrust fosters skepticism, frustration, low productivity, lost opportunity, and turnover. Trust affects a leader’s impact and the company’s bottom line more than any other single thing. In this session you’ll become equipped with evidence-based, practical strategies to forego the time–killing, bureaucratic check–and–balance processes so often deployed in lieu of actual trust.
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Associate Member Summit
Join us for an opportunity to share ideas for improving our GEM program and the evolution of WSAE Associate member services.
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm President Social
Inviting all past presidents to attend. Invitation only for all others.

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm First Timers Welcome
Inviting all first time WSAE convention attendees to attend.

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm All Conference Welcome Reception
First beverage and appetizers compliments of Yakima Valley Tourism

8:30 pm - late - All Conference After Hours Social
Sponsored by the Bellevue Bunch!

Thursday, June 7, 2017
7:30 am - 8:30 am - CAE Breakfast
Inviting all CAEs and WSAE Board of Directors

Thursday, June 7, 2017
8:30 am – 9:50 am

Opening Keynote
One More Thing and I'll Explode! - Managing Change
Jean Steel
Happy People Win
Change is stressful, no question. But it is as unavoidable as death and taxes, so we might as well embrace it. In this refreshing workshop, participants are led through the common responses to change, what change can mean, and the various affects it can have in our homes, at work, and in our relationships. Jean Steel is well prepared for this topic, having led a life with more change in it than most. She asks us to take care of ourselves, to reframe our thinking, to make strong commitments, and to see the opportunities in all the changes of our lives. Find out how the one-minute vacation and the “tombstone technique” can, well, change the way you think about change.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Taming the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Bev Parnell, MS Edu
Leadership Development Consultant
Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness and Stonewalling—the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse can wreak havoc in your work life! Do these words sound familiar? Do you find yourself or team stuck in patterns that leave you exhausted, frustrated or puzzled? Learn to use down-to-earth antidotes to guard against the “cost of incivility” to stop these Four Horsemen- Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness and Stonewalling--in their tracks. What’s in it for you? Targeted strategies to more effectively influence partnerships, teamwork, engagement and service with world-class results.
The BlindSpot Zone – The hidden blind spots association executives and industry suppliers need to know about to lead from influence, not position.
Kevin McCarthy
Making Better Happen
If you have ever said to yourself, “I didn’t see that coming!” then you have already experienced The BlindSpot Zone™! Kevin McCarthy spent 33 months in a federal prison for a crime he didn’t knowingly commit… because he had blind spots? What are your blind spots doing to you? In Kevin’s presentation, you will discover how blind spots can place a lid on your influence, innovation and creativity.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
11:15 am – 12:15 pm

Coming Up for Air: Learning to Manage Stress and Lengthen Your Life!
Jean Steel
Happy People Win
It’s true: these days stress is blamed for everything from cancer to the common cold. But this modern villain has earned its reputation. And unless we learn to manage it, we’ll live our shortened lives with our fists and our teeth clenched. In this important address, Jean discusses the misleading myths of stress, and why you need to care.

Driving Results Through Employee Engagement
Tom Tomasevic, MBA
T2 Team LLC
Todays’ executives have incredible challenges – driving and delivering results against ever-increasing competition, the speed of business, and decreasing profit margins. The most difficult area to master is human capital engagement, yet everything depends on it. Learn why driving Employ Engagement is a must in today's economy (statistics); how to achieve and maintain high Employee Engagement through employee analytics; and why long-term employee engagement starts with smart hiring
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm 
Lunch & Awards Program
Thursday, June 7, 2018
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Roundtables
CEO
Creating Win/Win Solutions
Learn How to Become a CAE
Thursday, June 7, 2018
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Leading a Culture of Trust & Compassion
Danna Beal
International Speaker, Leadership Coach & Author
Learn the secrets of great leaders who engage, inspire and energize those they lead. Learn the path for creating a culture of trust and cooperation, where individuals work at their highest potential. Discover the essential steps leading to open and authentic communication. Gain insights to your own leadership style and how to be an authentically empowered leader who builds teamwork instead of internal competition. Be the leader who helps everyone rise together, creating motivation and synergy. Find your own inner courage, wisdom and genuine confidence to be a powerful leader who creates an extraordinary workplace.

Plan the Work, Work the Plan
Brenda Orffer
Washington Health Care Association
Jeff Bowe
Experience Olympia & Beyond
Brenda Orffer will be joined by meeting planning and hospitality professional Jeff Bowe to provide insight on the various aspects of meeting planning. This hour will be filled with ideas, inspiration, validation, and fun!
Meeting planning involves a variety of venues, logistics, deliverables, and people, and meeting planners learn to juggle all of the moving parts to create a seamless experience for attendees. Whether you are planning a meeting for five or five thousand, there are certain areas of planning and preparation that are the same. Every meeting needs a budget, a venue, a schedule, an agenda, possibly food, beverage, audio/visual equipment, and most certainly people. During this session, learn about the major aspects of meeting planning, how to approach each aspect, and ways to ensure that all the details are covered. We will also discuss what happens when the unthinkable or disaster happens – how can the meeting planner remain cool as a cucumber and ensure attendees still have an amazing experience.
3:50 pm - 4:50 pm
Bunco & Silent Auction Finale
Donate to the Silent Auction
5:50 pm - 10:00 pm
Dinner & private concert at Gilbert Cellars Winery at the Hackett Ranch
Gilbert Cellars Winery is located on the historic Hackett Ranch, offering views of the Ahtanum Ridge, apple orchards, the Sunrise Vineyard, peaceful cattail-lined ponds, and rows of French lavender. Just 20 minutes from downtown Yakima, your guests will enjoy The Amphitheater resting at the base of a rolling green lawn, The Cave Patio which faces our basalt barrel room, and the rustic atmosphere of the WWII-era Quonset Hut. Gilbert Cellars creates its handcrafted wines on the property, and gravel roads wind through the vineyards. Yakima’s wine country sunshine illuminates the stunning natural details of The Hackett Ranch—the perfect venue for your upcoming event. Dinner and beverages fully hosted, compliments of Yakima Valley Tourism.
Friday, June 8, 2018
8:30 am - 9:30 am
Level-Up Your Leadership: What We Can Learn from the Science of Game Design
Scott Crabtree
Happy Brain Science
To be successful, leaders must provide interaction and fun to engage and retain stakeholders. Learn how to ‘gamify’ your organization so your people have more fun, deliver better results, and see you and your association as highly engaging. Learn from the masters of engagement – game developers! If you don't feel the pull of video games, someone near you does. Over 155 million players play, and they spend over $15 billion each year, and that's just in the USA!
The Art of Running More Effective, Efficient and Engaging Meetings
Arden Clise
Clise Etiquette
Do you feel frustrated by how much time you spend in meetings; many of which are not productive? Would you like to stop having your meetings run off course? In this fun and interactive workshop, you’ll discover how to facilitate and participate in gatherings that actually accomplish something. You’ll walk away with tangible skills to make your meetings effective, productive and maybe even fun.
Friday, June 8, 2018
9:50 am - 10:50 am
Collaboration through Candid Conversation: The Science of Difficult Dialogue
Scott Crabtree
Happy Brain Science
This session will help you collaborate better by more candidly conducting difficult conversations. You will reflect on how you relate to conflict, your organization’s culture around conflict, and how conflict might be useful. See how a healthy mix of assertion and cooperation leads to true collaboration. Learn how emotional intelligence can help anyone better navigate difficult conversations. You will leave with an improved ability to make the best of any conflict and find your way to better collaboration.
The Best Success Strategy for 21st Century Organizations
Donna Cameron, CAE
There’s a business strategy that will increase annual profits by 16%, enhance employee performance by 20%, and reduce employee turnover by 87%. That same strategy will help businesses land new clients and associations attract new members. It’s been shown to significantly improve customer/member service, increase employee engagement, and reduce absences, as well as create an atmosphere where learning, collaboration, and innovation flourish. The strategy is kindness. Once viewed as an optional workplace behavior, abundant recent research has shown the very opposite to be true. Businesses with kind cultures enjoy greater success, stability, and profitability.
Friday, June 8, 2018
10:50 a.m. – 12:00 pm
Brunch & Closing Keynote
There’s a Better Way to Get to Great
Dean Savoca
Savoca Performance Group
In the frenetic pace of the associations industry, personal drive and ambition are vital to success. Type A’s thrive. Being indispensable is tantamount to being great. But when you find yourself frantic, distracted and overwhelmed instead of staying grounded, focused and fulfilled, you may have reached a tipping point that can be counterproductive to your success. You may have an outcome addiction – the “doing more gets you more” mindset, which can blind you to your own intuition and insight, and actually inhibit your productivity. There is a better way.