An Entrepreneurial Mindset and Lifelong Learning for Empowering Nonprofits

April 17, 2024

with Stacie East, Esq., CAE

Our guest this week on the 6 Degrees of Associations Podcast is Stacie East, Esq., CAE. Stacie is the Director of Equity and Grants at the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

Equipped with an Ivy League Law Degree and years of grit from running a business, Stacie knew she had to dig deep and find even more ways to gain the valuable education she’d need to find success as an association executive.

This learning journey involved training for the Certified Association Executive (CAE) certification program and participation as a scholar in the Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP).

Additionally, it required formal mentorships and networking. As we learn in this interview, it takes an all-hands-on-deck approach of continuous learning, networking, relationship building, and training to find success as an association and mission-driven Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) executive.

With a lifelong commitment to mission-driven organizations, she is a strategist, attorney, DEI expert, and fundraiser. Stacie is a shining example of someone who refuses to rest on her laurels and experience; she brings an entrepreneurial mindset and an innovative curiosity to the association world while championing DEI initiatives with fervor, energy, and enthusiasm.