The Association Blog

“One thing you’ll hear me say at every conference,” shared The Association’s Pres & CEO, Jim Tedford, on Day 1 of the Spring Conference for Animal Welfare Advancement, “is that you get out of these events what you put into them.”

We knew it was going to be amazing to see each other in person—we just didn’t realize how amazing. We are so thankful to all 323 animal welfare professionals who joined us in Chicago June 15-17. We laughed, we learned, we questioned, we networked, and yes, we played ping pong. We’ll be sharing actionable takeaways and key learnings over the coming months. In the meantime, here’s a fun photo gallery and some notable speaker quotes that resonated with attendees.

Things That Make You Go Hmmm

Aha! moments and words of wisdom…there were so many. Here are just a few of your favorite takeaways:

In negotiation, always put your needs first
– Fotini Iconomopoulos, in her session Say Less, Get More

We don’t have to be everything to everyone
– Kari Knutson, Boundaries, Rapport, & Relationships

Going into a recession, what do you need? NET!
– Jo Sullivan & Matthew Mielcarek, Mid-Level, Sustainer and Sophisticated Direct Response: How to Adapt to Shifting Donor Expectations

Sometimes people quit but never leave
– Geoff Urton in From Brittle to Nimble: Leading the Purpose-Driven for Resilience

The elimination of problems is not the cultivation of joy
– Josh Vaisman, CCFP, MAPPC, during his session, Positive Leadership: A Framework for Leading Thriving Teams

Attendees, what would you add?