Peter Waite, CAE

CSAE Member since 1986
My first boss, Julian Huffer, encouraged me to join the “Institute of Association Executives” as it was then known, to build my personal network and gain volunteer experience. Little did I know that this would eventually lead me to founding my own association management company… but here we are 36 years later, still having fun.

Running three associations and a small business entails lots of meetings so you have to make it a priority to reserve the dates of CSAE events and try to get to them whenever you can. Being open to meeting new members is something I try to do given how I remember Donna Mary Shaw welcoming me to the very first meeting I attended and how she always sought me out at events to check-in. If I can give back one tenth of the support, advice, and encouragement I got from her, and others, then I’m doing a good job.