Power Players A Conversation with Trade Association Executive of the Year Lori Anderson By KiKi L’Italien TRANSFORMED AN INDUSTRY THROUGH HOW In a basement somewhere in Alexandria, Virginia, one of the most influential leaders in the association world is taking a power nap. For exactly ten minutes, Lori Anderson, president and CEO of the International Sign Association (ISA) and newly named Trade Association Executive of the Year, lets herself disconnect. No phones. No screens. Just ten minutes of meditation and rest. This moment of vulnerability and self-care might seem surprising coming from someone who has spent the past two decades transforming an organization from turmoil to triumph. But it’s exactly this kind of authentic leadership—grounded in human connection and personal growth—that has defined Anderson’s remarkable tenure at ISA. “Your to-do list will still be there when you die,” Anderson says with the kind of practical wisdom that comes from navigating both professional challenges and personal battles, including breast cancer. “Give yourself some grace that you are doing the best you can in any given moment.” When Anderson took the helm at ISA, she was the fifth CEO in six years. The organization was struggling with board turmoil, staff turnover, and misaligned systems. Rather than rushing to make sweeping changes, she focused first on something more fundamental: getting to know her people. “I needed to be comfortable in my own skin and really get to know the individuals on my team as people, not as their titles,” Anderson reflects. “I needed to make sure I got to know board members in that same way.” This human-first approach laid the groundwork for what would become a comprehensive five-year transformation of ISA’s governance, membership, and financial structures. But even as she led this organizational overhaul, Anderson was simultaneously undergoing her own transformation—as a leader and as a person. LORI ANDERSON CONNECTION 22
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