Senior staff for NACDS' Anderson, AISI's Gibson and CUNA's Nussle find productive collaboration transcends first job together

Gibson

Harrison

Krese

Kopple

It's an axiom that people quit their bosses, not their jobs.

The corollary is that it can be a good career move to change jobs in order to continue or resume working for good bosses, or good colleagues who have become bosses.

"Your experience in an association is going to be driven by the person you work for," Chris Krese, senior vice president of marketing, communications and media relations at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, told CEO Update.

Krese has worked at three different associations—starting with the American Frozen Food Institute and the National Restaurant Association—for NACDS CEO Steve Anderson.

Developing working relationships that transcend the position you currently have or the organization you currently work for can pay dividends for the chief executive and senior staffers.

"As long as executives can see that this is going to be a good fit professionally to achieve their career objectives, it benefits both the CEOs and the other executives," American Iron and Steel Institute CEO Tom Gibson said.

Gibson has forged a close working relationship with his Senior Vice President of Communications Lisa Harrison. She has worked with or for Gibson in four different places—though not continuously—stretching from their time as Hill aides in the 1990s and early 2000s to roles at the EPA where Gibson was chief of staff and later at two trade groups.

When Gibson was hired as senior vice president of advocacy in 2006 by then-CEO Jack Gerard at the American Chemistry Council— where Harrison was already vice president of communications—coworkers poked fun at their frequent collaborations.

"Obviously, it was a big source of ribbing in the office, that this was our third time working together," Harrison said. "Now it's our fourth time."

Gibson left ACC to head AISI in 2008. Five years later when his communications chief left, Gibson reached out to Harrison, then a strategic communications consultant for Hillmer.

"The first person I thought of was Lisa," Gibson said. "I didn't know whether she was in the market. I called to gauge her interest and ask if she could recommend anybody else. When she said she might be interested, that was the beginning and the end of the recruitment process."

For her part, Harrison wouldn't have left the consulting post for any other opportunity.

"We're a very effective team," Harrison said. "We know each other's strengths and weakness and felt the association would benefit."

Harrison said she appreciates Gibson's responsiveness to his staff.

"He listens to his senior leadership and wants their input and recommendations," she said.

Harrison and Gibson's mutual admiration was fused in the crucible of politics at particularly stressful times, when Harrison was deputy chief of staff and communications director for then Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) and Gibson a top aide on the Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which Smith was a member.

Passage of the Evergreen Restoration Act in 2000—a "personal crusade" for Smith—was difficult, and was followed by the bitter Florida recount in the presidential race between George W. Bush and Al Gore, Gibson said.

Anderson's NACDS is almost a family affair: In addition to Krese, Vice President of Media Relations Chrissy Kopple previously worked for him at NRA as director of media relations.

"I was challenged by going to a different industry in a more senior capacity and engaging on a more strategic level with Steve," Kopple said. "He really empowers his staff."

"They fit in very well here, especially in the health care arena," Anderson said. "We are a highly collaborative team. The three of us were former press secretaries on Capitol Hill (at different times) so we can almost finish each other's thoughts."

NACDS Vice President of Human Resources Dawn Worthington also worked for Anderson at the restaurant group.
More recently, former Hill aide Rich Meade rejoined his old boss, former Rep. Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) when the latter became CEO of Credit Union National Association in October. Meade is chief of staff and COO, after having worked for Nussle in a variety of positions including chief of staff when he was in Congress.

"It's a great organization, a great opportunity," said Meade, who left his job as a managing director for Prime Policy Group to move to CUNA. "It's good to be back with Jim."

Nussle praised Meade's mission-focused work ethic, and said Meade is more detail-oriented while Nussle prefers the big picture.

But Nussle said that despite familiarity, bosses and repeat staffers need clear communications to air out any issues that might have arisen in the past. Bosses can't just assume the staffers can read their mind because they've worked together, he said.

"One of the first things I said to Rich was, ‘Remember, we haven't worked together for 12 years, and I don't remember if there were things that we left unsaid. Before we start, let's remember what we thought was weak about the relationship and where we can improve,'" Nussle said.