Your Advisors

M. Suzanne C. Berry, MBA, CAE, Strategic Advisor, Suzanne brings years of successful executive leadership as an association CEO and a past owner of an association management company. She is passionate about good governance, proactive strategic and operational planning as well as developing and enhancing an organization’s staff and operational infrastructures to meet the needs of members and key stakeholders.

Suzanne was co-founder and owner of Association Resources, Inc., a leading AMC where she and co-owner, Peter Berry, CAE, managed a wide range of international and national professional association clients. When the firm was sold in 2007, they had over sixty staff and twenty growing full-service clients.

Since departing Association Resources, Suzanne has created a practice in Interim C-Suite management and has worked with a number of associations in C-Suite roles. Her engagements have included: Interim CEO at the Association for Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nurses and the American Diabetes Association; created COO roles at both the International Association for the Study of Pain and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards; and interim COO/CFO for the American Society of Interior Designers.

Suzanne is an active volunteer and presenter with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and earned her CAE in 1995. She is a Governance Fellow with the National Association of Corporate Directors and a member of the Finance Committee for the Nurses on Boards Coalition (NOBC). She recently received the Entrepreneurial Excellence Award from the School of Business at Central Connecticut State University.

Marilyn Jansen, Strategic Advisor, brings over 40 years of business development and marketing expertise, and for the past 18 years has led the business development activities for a leading association management company. Working closely with volunteer board leaders and association management professionals, Marilyn is an excellent listener and carefully learns key goals, including vision and values, to develop strategies to move the organization’s objectives forward. She has a knack for understanding what is needed and searches for impactful business solutions that are both cost effective and the right fit, so a partnership of mutual trust will evolve and thrive. Her genuine enthusiasm about association management and helping clients achieve their objectives is contagious.

Presentations and public speaking are a regular part of Marilyn’s role, and she is very effective presenting nuances of the AMC model and related business solutions to volunteers and boards. Marilyn has a successful entrepreneurial background that brings added value to her clients. Her personal experience as a business owner enables her to empathize with volunteer boards that make decisions on behalf of their organizations.

Marilyn quickly connects with others, which makes her a natural at collaboration and working with groups to move initiatives forward. She is a respected leader and contributor to the association community. In 2013, Marilyn received the John C. Thiel Distinguished Service Award presented by the Association Forum of Chicagoland. She has mentored diversity scholars, is a champion of women in the workplace, and has chaired many impactful committees during her career. Marilyn is an active member of AMC Institute, Association Forum of Chicagoland, and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). She holds a bachelor’s in communication and business administration.

Chris Brown, MPA, Strategic Advisor is a seasoned consulting professional with experience in the areas of government relations and advocacy, non-profit management, association governance and board relations, survey research and data collection, strategic planning, fundraising, and legislative and regulatory issues in the food industry. Chris has broad experience in working with diverse industries and coalitions where he has been a successful partner in helping companies and organizations to position their businesses to be successful.

Chris has written and spoken before large and small groups on issues important to trade associations and the non-profit community.  He has led several sessions at the annual meeting of ASAE:  The Center for Association Leadership, “Innovate to Motivate:  The National Conference for Political Involvement Professionals” and the ASAE Government Relations Symposium.  He is a previous chair of the ASAE Government Relations Section Council.

Chris earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Wooster and a Master of Public Administration degree from The George Washington University. He keeps busy with volunteer work in his community, serving with in the Watch D.O.G.S. Program (Dads of Great Students) program, the College of Wooster Alumni Association, and is a former trustee with the Berkeley Heights Education Foundation.

Sue Pine, FASAE, CAE, Strategic Advisor, is an association visionary and international speaker. Sue has worked closely with a variety of associations and professional societies managed by association management companies during her 40-year career.

Sue is a frequent speaker at ASAE, AMC Institute, and a variety of ASAE State Society meetings. Sue is an ASAE trained facilitator of the ASAE Certificate in Association Management. She is a subject matter expert on Environmental Scanning, Trends Monitoring, & AMC Accreditation.

Sue is an active member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) and the Mid-Atlantic Society of Association Executives. Sue has served on the Board and then as the Executive Director of AMC Institute, the trade association for association management companies. Sue is a Past President of the Delaware Valley Society of Association Executives, and current member of the AMC Institute Accreditation & Standard Committee.

As a Past Chair of the ASAE Research Committee (2008), Sue was actively involved in the “Designing Your Future” trends project. Sue continues to serve on the ASAE ForesightWorks Advisory Team. Sue is a huge fan of the ASAE Research Committee and strong advocate for the need to incorporate trends-watching as a critical skill required by both key leaders of association staff teams and volunteer leaders. Sue furthered her training by attending the University of Houston Certificate in Strategic Foresight program.

Most recently, Sue was inducted into the 2019 Class of ASAE Fellows. The ASAE Fellows program bestows an honorary recognition on less than 1 percent of ASAE’s membership. Sue has received the 2009 AMC Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2008 Leadership Award from the ASAE-AMC Section Council, and the 2015 MASAE Distinguished Service Award.

Lindsey K. Nelson, CAE, Strategic Advisor, is an association executive with 18 years of experience in transformation, strategic planning, and operational modernization. She drives change and builds high-performing teams that deliver sustainable growth and financial health, leveraging her expertise in governance restructuring, talent development, and stakeholder relations.

In August 2024, Lindsey founded Ethos Advisors, LLC—a consulting practice offering strategic consulting, fractional CEO/COO support, and operational services for associations and non-profits. As part of this role, Lindsey is currently serving as a Strategic Advisor for BlochReed Association Advisors where she lends her expertise to associations seeking or utilizing outsourced management solutions. Before launching her firm, she served as Executive Director of the Themed Entertainment Association (TEA), where she led a major staffing transition, reformed governance, updated bylaws, and modernized core systems—returning the organization to profitability in two years.

Earlier in her career, Lindsey held senior leadership roles at United Benefit Advisors (UBA) and the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA). At NAMA, she served as Vice President overseeing operations and non-dues programs while serving as Executive Director the NAMA Foundation—a 501(c)(3) affiliate—raising over $5 million through a capital campaign that secured long-term sustaining revenue for the organization.

Her leadership has earned her the Association Forum’s 2020-2021 Association Professional Achievement Award and the 2014 Forty Under 40 Award from the Association Forum & USAE. A Certified Association Executive since 2015, Lindsey is also an active mentor, industry leader, and community volunteer.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, and is pursuing an Executive MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, with graduation scheduled for June 2026.