Bill Klaproth (Host): Welcome to the ASHRM Podcast made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to support efforts to advance safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management. You can visit ashrm.org, that's ashrm.org/membership, to learn more and to become an ASHRM member.

I'm Bill Klaproth. And on this episode, we talk with Evan Williams, the new Executive Director of ASHRM, about the future of ASHRM. Evan, welcome.

Evan Williams: Thank you, Bill. Wonderful to be here with you today.

Host: Evan, it is great to meet you and we're looking forward to learning more about you and the future of ASHRM. So first off, can you tell us a bit about your professional background and previous roles before joining ASHRM?

Evan Williams: Yeah, Bill, I'd be happy to. I got my start in the association management profession in 2006. At that time, I was providing advocacy support for a lot of professional societies and trade associations, and I got very excited about the opportunity to do the type of work that my colleagues and peers in that space were doing. And so, since that time, I've had the opportunity to work with a bunch of terrific members and volunteer leaders and staff serving both the construction industry as well as the real estate community. But in addition to that, I got really deeply engaged in the association professional community as well. You may not know, I served on the Association Forums Board of Directors and served as their Board Chair in 2013 and 2014 and also received my Certified Association Executive Certification in 2011.

Host: Evan, thank you so much for sharing that bit about your background. We appreciate it. So then, what attracted you to this position and ASHRM in particular?

Evan Williams: Well, the ASHRM position in particular is just a fascinating opportunity for any association professional. But for me in particular, there were a couple of things that really drew me in. First is that I'm really passionate about the mission of what ASHRM is and what we do, and the opportunity that I have to help support all of our risk management professionals. And the work they do in keeping hospitals and health systems and patients safe. But in addition to that, I believe my leadership style and the skills I bring are a really good fit for what we have here at ASHRM. ASHRM is a very collaborative, a supportive culture. I believe those are both essential for organizational excellence and things that I can further with the experience that I bring.

In addition, I've done a lot of work in strategy and member value, and I think both of those will be really helpful to ASHRM and its continued growth in the years ahead.

Host: Yeah. I love what you had to say there, you know, collaborative, supportive structure, the culture, the strategy you bring. I think that is really important. So then, I know you're new, but as you assess the things, what are the primary goals right now that you hope to achieve in your first year?

Evan Williams: Well, the number one thing is I'd like to listen and learn. ASHRM's a very strong, it's a healthy, it's a vibrant organization, and I want to learn as much as I can, and really continue that terrific culture of collaboration. It's a word that all of you will hear me use a lot. It's something I firmly believe in. And it's something that I want to continue here at ASHRM. But it's also an exciting year for ASHRM in that our advisory board and the staff right now are engaged in strategic planning. And so, I really look forward to leading the establishment of a dynamic new three year strategic plan. We're working on it now and more to come in the future.

Host: So, the three-year plan is you're working on that now. That's great to hear. So as you talk about strategy and you said that's one of the things you bring to the table, can you share any strategies that you have right now for enhancing member benefits and participation?

Evan Williams: Oh yeah, absolutely. That's a great question. So, the first thing that we really want to do is better understand how our products and services are helping you all, our members, and our prospective members solve your real world problems that you're experiencing on a daily basis. That's the first thing that we need to continue to do.

And secondly, we need to work to communicate that clearly with you, with our prospective members, that we have the solutions for your daily challenges. We can help you solve the problems that are coming up every day. And that ASHRM is the best place for you and your colleagues who are not affiliated to come to get the solutions to those problems. And it sounds really easy to say that, but it is difficult to achieve in practice, and that's something that we're going to continue to work on here at ASHRM.

Host: I love how you say that. I often say to people, people don't pay attention until you offer a solution to their problems. So, listening like you're saying you want to do, Evan, and understanding what the problems are, what the benefits and the solutions you can help bring to ASHRM members and prospective ASHRM members, I think, is really important. So I love what you said there. I think that's really important.

Evan Williams: Yep, Bill. You're right on.

Host: Yeah. So, I'm wondering about your career in general. If you could share a memorable experience from your career that maybe has helped shaped your professional journey.

Evan Williams: Oh, absolutely. I mentioned earlier in our conversation the work that I've done with the Association Forum and particularly serving on their Board of Directors. And for me, that was not only a tremendous opportunity for professional growth, but it also gave me a window into the experience of what it's like to be a volunteer and a member leader.

And as I've progressed throughout my career, I've continued to volunteer, not only for the Association Forum, but for other organizations in which I'm passionate about. Not only because it gives me the chance to give back to the causes that I love, but it really helps keep me grounded as a staff leader on what our volunteers and our members need and the perspectives that they have, that they're coming in to ASHRM with on a daily basis. And I think that's just really important as an executive director and as a staff lead to have that perspective on a day-to-day basis.

Host: I think that's really cool. So, do you think by volunteering people see that? I think that helps motivate people. And for the people that you lead, when you talk about volunteering and volunteerism and you're on the front lines volunteering, I mean, that can only be leading by example as well. Is that right?

Evan Williams: Absolutely. I think it's leading by example, and I think it's also just remembering that all of our volunteer leaders have that term volunteer. They're doing this for the love of the organization, for their profession, they want to help make a difference. And we need to keep that in mind on a day to day basis that all of these individuals are giving back so much time and energy, time away from their families, from their jobs, from other passions and pursuits, to help make ASHRM a terrific place. And as you said, keeping that in mind and leading by example is absolutely something that I have felt to be an important part of my professional journey.

Host: Absolutely. So then, Evan, what message would you like to leave with our members and listeners as you begin your tenure as the ASHRM Executive Director?

Evan Williams: Well, first off, I'd love to hear from you. If you have some guidance on a problem that ASHRM has helped you solve, and how valuable that was to you, that would be terrific. But in any way, just please reach out to me, share what makes ASHRM wonderful. I'd really love to hear all those stories as we get moving on a wonderful new chapter here at ASHRM.

Host: I love that. So then, how can members get in touch with you, Evan?

Evan Williams: Well, first off, I'd love to see you at our conference in October. We're in San Diego. It's a must do. If you've been before, I know you'll come again. If you haven't been, please consider coming. It's not only a great opportunity to meet me, many of our tremendous staff at ASHRM, as well as a ton of your colleagues, you're going to get to know some of the finest minds in our profession. You'll get to build your network and you'll really get to grow your knowledge. If you haven't looked at our website, here is my shameless plug, go to ashrm.org, you can find more information. And one of the things that I love that's up there is that we have a toolkit, which will help you have a resource for how you can get a great return on your investment.

We know your time is money and your money is money, and we want you to have a great return on your investment by coming to ASHRM 2024. However, I understand not everybody can do that. So if you can't come in October, please drop me a line via email, say hi, and really share with me how valuable ASHRM has been to you. You could reach me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. It's also on our website.

Host: That's great, and we'll have it up on the screen there for you, too. Evan, this has been great. Thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it.

Evan Williams: Absolutely. Thanks so much, Bill.

Host: And once again, that is Evan Williams. And as Evan said, he's going to be in San Diego. Come meet Evan in person at the 2024 ASHRM Annual Conference in beautiful San Diego, California. ASHRM conferences are awesome. If you can make it, please do so. And the ASHRM podcast was made possible by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management to support efforts to advance safe and trusted healthcare through enterprise risk management. You can visit ashrm.org/membership to learn more. Thanks for listening.