By Nicole Millman-Falk, CAE
Stephen C. Crane, PhD, MPH
"NYSAE has a remarkably rich history and tradition, which has changed with the times and the politics in the city," begins Stephen C. Crane, PhD, MPH, newly elected NYSAE chairman of the Board, and executive director of the American Thoracic Society (ATS). "I have always been impressed with how NYSAE has maintained itself as the voice of the association and nonprofit community with respect to policy issues."
High praise, indeed, from someone who spent the first part of his career in the healthcare and academic arenas, influencing a number of policy and strategic initiatives. While serving as vice president at the Association for Health Services Research and Foundation for Health Services Research, in Washington, DC, for example, he led several projects to increase health systems productivity, make health services research available online, and support research on patient-centered care. During his tenure as the executive vice president and chief executive officer for the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA), he helped advance state laws governing the practice of physician assistants and their reimbursement. "It was an exciting opportunity to tie my earlier research and work on health workforce issues to a rapidly growing and important profession," said Dr. Crane.
Under his leadership, membership in the AAPA grew from 17,000 to approximately 40,000 physician assistants, and the organizational budget more than tripled to $15 million. He has also been principal investigator of a series of government-, foundation-, and corporate-funded projects in areas of health policy and health services research. He was also noted for the relationships AAPA forged with other medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association.
Coincidently, though AAPA was based in Alexandria, Virginia, it was at that time that he became acquainted with NYSAE. "In the ‘90s, I worked closely with Joel and Kathy Dolci, who were managing the New York State Society of Physician Assistants. I had been involved with ASAE in Washington and knew the value of getting together with like-minded people—both to share victories and learn from one another and to commiserate with when times are bad," he explains. "When I moved north to ATS to be closer to my family, I knew I had to become involved with NYSAE."
Changes in Association/Nonprofit Profession
Much has changed in the association management profession over the last 20 years. "One of the biggest changes I have observed in the medical world, which is the world I know but which echoes other professions," he says "has been the change in funding sources. In the last seven to eight years in particular, new relationships have been forged between the medical industry and medical and clinical associations with greater and appropriate attention being paid to issues of conflict of interest and financial influence. Creating greater transparency has greatly increased the cost of doing business, at a time when all of us are hard-pressed because of the economy," he says.
Those funding changes, however, have necessitated that associations become more creative. "One of the most important characteristics of an association leader is the ability to innovate," says Dr. Crane. "Indeed, we need to innovate before we are overtaken by events."
Dr. Crane also calls upon association leaders to use good data to make better decisions. "Information makes an ordinary manager a great manager," he says. Because of reduced funding sources, ATS, he points out, went from a $28 million organization to a $21 million one in 18 months. "Yet we didn't cut staff; we looked at what we did and found better ways to do it. We reengineered everything. As we say in our world of respiratory medicine: Take a deep breath and charge ahead."
What's Ahead for NYSAE?
"It's important for a new leader to maintain continuity of direction and momentum from the past," says Dr. Crane. He calls upon NYSAE to continue its outstanding educational offerings and its focus on membership development and retention. "In addition, Joel and the NYSAE staff have done great a job of expanding the MeetNY program."
Relaunching the Nonprofit CEO Forum is one goal of the new chairman of the board. Introduced in 1994, over the years, the Forum has served to bring together New York's key nonprofit CEOs and COOs. "It's a cauldron for development and formulation of new ideas that can influence and shape key policy issues," says Dr. Crane.
Building the foundation for the next generation of association leaders is also important to Dr. Crane. "When my daughter graduated last year from New York University's Wagner School of Public Policy, I thought it would be great place to do programs to entice younger people to enter our field. NYSAE is rich in educational resources, experience opportunities, and contacts; we have a real chance to draw students into our field and organizations."
In order to do that, "the story of NYSAE and our contributions to New York have to be repeated over and over," says Dr. Crane.
Get Involved
What's next? NYSAE's 2013-14 volunteer recruitment drive was recently mailed to the membership. Join a committee; present an educational program; write an article for InView. "If you haven't been involved, lets find a way to get you involved."
Ultimately, it's all about having fun. Says Dr. Crane, "I've always believed that in management the theory of fun trumps the theory of power. We are a community of like-minded individuals, growing the role of associations and nonprofits in New York. Really, it's about finding new ways of having fun together to be effective and productive."
Nicole Millman-Falk, CAE, managing editor of InView, is president of Millman-Falk Communications, LLC, a public relations and editorial services firm. She can be reached at 201-652-1687; mfc32@optonline.net.