Built To Connect

What makes an association irreplaceable — and what's putting real pressure on the model right now? In this episode of Built to Connect, Jackson meets with David Gammel, Executive Director of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, two-time association CEO, and former Chief Practice Officer at McKinley Advisors, to explore what decades of moving between the consulting world and the...

What does it take to lead a complex scientific association through rapid change and actually come out ahead? In this episode of Built to Connect, Jackson speaks with Christie Tarantino-Dean, CEO of the Institute of Food Technologists and former head of Association Forum, to explore what great association leadership looks like when the stakes are high and the pace of change is relentless. Christie...

What if the association business model is fundamentally broken — and has been for decades? In this episode of Built to Connect, Jackson sits down with Dr. James Young, founder of Product Community and two-time chief learning officer, to challenge the way associations think about revenue, member engagement, and the value they deliver to their communities. James introduces concepts like the "fo...

Is the traditional association model still fit for purpose in 2026? In this second episode, Jackson is joined by Thad Lurie, SVP of Digital and Technology at American Geophysical Union and recipient of the Association Trends Trailblazer Award, to explore what it really means to lead innovation inside an industry that has traditionally favored stability over speed. Thad shares the communication-fir...

Episode 1: Built to Connect | Debra BenAvram, CEO of AABB What does it take to transform a global association from the inside out? In our inaugural episode, Jackson sits down with Debra BenAvram, CEO of AABB (Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies), to explore how she's redefining what it means to lead a $20M nonprofit in a rapidly evolving industry. Debra shares the leader...