A CEO’s Playbook for Managing Member-Driven Culture at Associations

April 15, 2026

with Christie Tarantino-Dean

With an extensive background in associations and leadership since 1993, Christie Tarantino Dean, FASAE, CAE, the CEO of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), is our guest this week on the Six Degrees of Associations Podcast, presented by Big Red M. Christie sits down with host Lucas McCann to examine what she’s uncovered in a career spanning multiple decades, including serving as CEO of IFT — one of the leading food science associations in the world — since 2014.

As we learn in this chat, associations take on the personality of their membership, and association managers and leaders need to stay nimble to embrace that.

Before embarking on her role at IFT, Christie also served as:

  • President and CEO of Association Forum of Chicagoland
  • Executive Director of the Academy of General Dentistry
  • Associate Vice President of Member Relations with the Professional Convention Management Association

You can follow Christie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christietarantinodean/

And learn more about IFT: https://www.ift.org/