Some temporary leaders—including those not initially candidates for the full-time job—have had the chance to prove their value

Gables

The pandemic put many CEOs in the hot seat—including some interim CEOs who had been promoted from within the association staff in order to keep the trains running while the board conducted a search for a new chief executive.

But the sudden disruption gave these internal leaders—experienced in CFO, COO or other senior roles—a chance to show what they could do in a time of turmoil. Their status as known quantities also enhanced their prospects in a way it might not have absent the pandemic.

"I think all organizations went through this time of needing to make sure they were maintaining stability," said Lisa Gables, CEO of the $29 million-revenue American Academy of PAs, which represents more than 140,000 physician assistants. "I don't know if it affected my ability to get the job or not, but I certainly think I provided a stable solution."

Gables, who had been CFO and chief development officer, added interim CEO to her responsibilities in June 2019. She initially was not part of the search process. But her performance through a dizzying array of challenges and initiatives, including a new strategic planning process, won the board over and she was named CEO in September 2020.

COVID-19's once-in-a-lifetime threat to association business models aligned the stars for many internal candidates. At least a dozen interim CEOs at substantial associations won the job full time in the past year.

"Sometimes, after a really difficult past year, the organization will be smaller and financially challenged for a number of years," said executive recruiter Jim Zaniello, founder of Vetted Solutions. "The board might either want a known quantity or might be able to promote from within for cost savings."

Zaniello doesn't favor having interim CEOs be candidates for the permanent position, in part because it can create conflicts of interest. But he says some association clients are letting interim CEOs remain at the helm longer as a result of the pandemic.

"We're also seeing interims being brought in for extended period of time, 12 to 18 months and sometimes even longer, to help the association figure out the business model for the future," he said.

"It's hard work for a board and a staff to think through redefining a business model. But it ultimately is a different job if you're moving from one business model to another, and the skills needed in the following leader are often very different."

Three jobs at once

CEO Update spoke with Gables and two other internal interim CEOs who found themselves challenged, but also empowered, like never before. Gables became a candidate in the search process more than six months after being named interim, and shortly before the pandemic shutdowns hit.

"Like many associations, we faced the problem of having to cancel our national conference, which is a fairly large revenue generator for us," Gables told CEO Update. "We had to try to manage remote working and maintaining productivity all at the same time I was transitioning into the role of candidate."

AAPA was able to avoid layoffs and benefit cuts. AAPA also quickly converted much of its May annual conference content to online offerings and is preparing a virtual conference this year.

In addition to all that, Gables throughout her stint as interim CEO was steering the association through its five-year strategic planning process, overseeing a major membership overhaul, hassling with AAPA's insurance company over coverage for the canceled conference and steadying the ship through a temporary membership decline caused by the pandemic.

"We have the highest membership count in our history today," she said.

Through much of it, Gables wasn't sure she would want the permanent CEO job.

"I was trying to do three jobs at once, and I kept thinking I can't do this forever," she said. "But then I realized I wouldn't be doing three jobs forever. So I started thinking maybe I should put my hat in the ring."

Gables advises others to see the opportunity in the interim spot.

"Anybody who's ever offered an interim position as CEO should take it," she said. "I feel like even if you're not interested in it full time, you should still take the opportunity to be in the seat for a while and learn what that's like.

"Because whether or not you decide this is a position for you here, it might be a position for you somewhere else later on. I think it's an invaluable experience," she said.

Schankel

‘Interesting challenge'

Bill Schankel joined the $4.6 million-revenue NAFA Fleet Management Association in 2017 as chief of staff and operations. He was named interim CEO in August 2019 and then promoted to CEO in May 2020 after a recruiter-led search.

"It was an interesting challenge, because, obviously, I was there to support the board and run the day to day," he said. "But I knew in the back of my mind that some of the things I was working through and putting in place may or may not change pending the outcome of the search. I just tried to put it out of my head as best I could."

Schankel had two search committee interviews. He also participated in two full board meetings as interim that were "almost on-the-job interviews," he said.

"The pandemic is a terrible thing, but it gave me a chance to really show what I could do in a disaster situation," he said. "I did have the benefit of knowing some of the areas where the board was unhappy and wanted a new direction."

The board wanted a less siloed organization, and Schankel was able to make progress toward the goal.

"They saw I was trying to make cultural changes and move things a little more quickly, making staff adjustments and automating some processes," he said.

His familiarity with the board and the association helped another way.

"It would have been hard for somebody to come in (from the outside) with so many changes and so many different things up in the air, to be brand new and work with a new staff, to work with programs that had drastically changed, to work with limited resources," Schankel said. "Being a known quantity helped in that situation."

Schankel made sure to establish the rationale for each of his steps.

"Throughout the process, for anything I was doing, I tried to lay out, ‘Here's why I'm doing it.' And to base a lot of it on data. So I probably overcommunicated to our board during the interim period, keeping them up to date," he said.

Riggs

Focusing on what you know

Sheryl Riggs won the top spot at the $6 million-revenue Utilities Technology Council in June 2020. She had been named interim five months earlier in January, and was not initially a candidate for the full-time position. As time went on, the board would see its future CEO was right in front of their eyes.

Like the other interims-turned-CEOs, Riggs found herself in an awkward position. While interim, she retained her role as SVP of finance and operations, a perch that gave her a role in the CEO search process. Some other candidates being considered by the search firm were from the industry; some were on the board.

"I didn't want to interview," Riggs told CEO Update. "That's what made me a neutral participant in the CEO selection process. My role as interim was strictly to keep things running.

"When they actually approached me to even have these discussions, it was awkward," she said. "I've worked so closely with the staff and the board; it was coming out of my comfort zone. It was not something that I had entertained. ... I had to switch hats, and I had to learn that this is not a temporary role, that it's more of a permanent role, which is going to require some grooming (of skills) on my part as well."

But the board decided she had the skills the association needed.

"After Sheryl led the UTC staff ably and inclusively (during the seven-month search for a new leader), ensuring that UTC remained stable during the worst of the economic downturn, it became clear that our CEO was already in place," board Chair Greg Angst said in a statement at the time.

Familiarity with the association proved a key advantage as she navigated the situation.

"I focused on what I knew was the priority, which was the financial health and stability of the association, the members and the staff," Riggs said. "If I had not been part of UTC, I probably would not have been able to address that as fast."

INTERIM LEADERS NAMED TO TOP JOB

Since March 2020, at least a dozen groups have promoted their interim chief executives to CEO or executive director.

ASAE—Susan Robertson
American Academy of PAs—Lisa Gables
American College of Cardiology—Cathy Gates
American Iron and Steel Institute—Kevin Dempsey
American Society of Interior Designers—Gary Wheeler
ASQ (American Society for Quality)—Ann Jordan
Financial Planning Association—Patrick Mahoney
International Association for the Study of Pain—Colleen Delaney Eubanks
NAFA Fleet Management Association—Bill Schankel
North American Veterinary Community—Gene O'Neill
Specialty Food Association—Bill Lynch
Utilities Technology Council—Sheryl Riggs