As associations face increasing pressure to diversify revenue, demonstrate impact, and remain relevant in a rapidly evolving market, the role of learning is being reexamined at the highest levels of leadership.

In this session, Tagoras managing director Jeff Cobb shares insights drawn from dozens of in-depth interviews with association CEOs, offering a rare, candid look into how top executives are thinking about learning—not just as a program, but as a core component of their organization’s growth strategy and value proposition.

Jeff will highlight key findings from the Learning Business Strategic Outlook Survey, including how CEOs are evaluating the revenue potential of learning, where they see the greatest opportunities and gaps, and how they view their organization’s broader responsibility as an education provider within their industry and society at large. This session will challenge traditional assumptions and provide a clearer picture of what it takes to elevate learning from an operational function to a strategic driver of revenue, relevance, and long-term impact.

Too many associations are stuck in the “pilot phase” of innovation — testing ideas that never scale or deliver measurable value. This session introduces a practical framework to help organizations move from experimentation to execution, turning AI pilots into sustainable products and member services.

Participants will explore the Pilot-to-Product Pathway, a four-step process for transforming small wins into scalable systems. The second half features a real-world case study from a national safety association that turned an AI knowledge pilot into a full member product in under a year. Attendees leave with a roadmap for identifying scalable opportunities, structuring innovation teams, and aligning technology pilots with mission-driven outcomes.

Member learning is no longer just a program—it has become one of the most critical levers for association relevance, growth, and long-term sustainability. Yet many organizations are still operating with models that were never designed to meet today’s demands.

In this closing session, Bill Sheehan, Global Head of Association Strategy at D2L, moderates a dynamic conversation with four of the association industry’s most respected advisors—Rebecca Achurch, Sherry Budziak, Tobin Conley, and Jeff Cobb—to explore where member learning is headed and what association leaders must do next.

Drawing on decades of experience advising organizations across the association landscape, this panel will move beyond theory to surface what is actually happening in the market: where associations are making meaningful progress, where they are falling short, and where the greatest opportunities exist to elevate learning as a strategic driver of value.

This discussion will be a candid, practical, and thought-provoking dialogue, one that leaves those involved in education for their associations with a clearer understanding of what’s next and what it will take to lead.

Because the question is no longer whether learning matters, it’s whether your organization is positioned to lead with it.

Workforce challenges are accelerating, and associations are uniquely positioned to respond. With deep industry expertise, trusted credibility, and direct access to both employers and professionals, associations can play a defining role in closing skills gaps and shaping career pathways.

In this session, we’ll explore how associations can step into a leadership role in workforce development by aligning learning with real-world skills, partnering more intentionally with employers, and creating pathways that are relevant, flexible, and career-connected.

We’ll also examine what it takes to move beyond traditional education models and toward a more dynamic, outcomes-driven approach—one that not only serves members, but strengthens industries.

Because if associations don’t lead this conversation, others will. And the organizations that rise to this moment won’t just support the workforce, they’ll help define its future.

Join Sherry Budziak, CEO, .orgSource for a fireside chat with Kimberley Jacques, Vice President of Education at the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives (CHIME), as they explore how CHIME transformed its credentialing and education strategy into a scalable content engine that supports growth, engagement, and long-term member value. Centered on CHIME’s credentialing program, this conversation will examine how a year-long content plan was operationalized into an ongoing strategy that connects certification, education, and membership evolution.

The discussion will highlight how AI is influencing education and content delivery, how associations can rethink the relationship between credentials and member engagement, and what it takes to build a modern growth strategy around learning and professional development. Attendees will gain insight into how CHIME reimagined its membership and content strategy to better serve its audience, strengthen relevance, and create new opportunities for value and impact.

Associations have long recognized the importance of the member lifecycle—but too often, learning is treated as a standalone program rather than an integrated strategy that supports members at every stage of their journey.

From early career awareness to onboarding, engagement, advancement, and leadership, learning has the potential to be the connective tissue that drives sustained value, deepens relationships, and fuels long-term growth.

In this session, we’ll explore how forward-thinking associations are intentionally aligning learning experiences to key moments in the member lifecycle—creating more personalized, relevant, and impactful pathways that evolve as members progress in their careers.

We’ll also examine how this approach not only strengthens engagement and retention, but unlocks new opportunities for non-dues revenue and reinforces the association’s role as a trusted partner throughout a member’s professional journey.

Because when learning is connected to the full member journey, it doesn’t just support engagement, it sustains it.