The ESOP Association (TEA) is the leading national trade and professional association representing employee-owned companies and the professionals who provide services to those companies (such as attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, trustees).  With a national headquarters based in Washington, DC, TEA currently maintains 19 state or regional Chapters divided into four main geographic regions.  Between 3 and 5 chapters constitute a region.  Each region is supported by a Chapter Director (CD), and the entire chapter program is supported by the Vice President (VP), to whom the CD’s will directly report.

TEA’s Chapter Directors serve as the front-line professional staff responsible for supporting our volunteer Chapter leaders through day-to-day chapter operations and administration, chapter conferences and meetings, membership relations, budgeting, and assistance with the recruitment of new employee-owned businesses.  Chapter volunteers work closely with our CD’s and other relevant TEA professional staff to develop both in person and virtual chapter programming calendars, select venues, identify educational topics and speakers/presenters, and manage chapter program income and expenses.  CD’s work closely with the Chapter Development Officer and TEA’s professional staff in Washington, DC to ensure steady and consistent Association support and service.

TEA Chapter events and meetings strive to return maximum educational content, networking, and value of experience to attendees while also introducing employee ownership as a model of business to prospective companies and professionals.  Chapter Directors will strive to conceptualize, design, organize, and successfully execute Chapter activities and meetings that contribute to the membership value for all classes of TEA members – both corporate and professional.  The Chapter Director must be a person who acts consistent with the values of TEA as expressed through the Association’s vision, mission, and culture.  The Chapter Director is an approachable individual and a good communicator; maintains a high level of self-motivation; can adhere to deadlines and has strong project management skills.

Responsibilities/Functions/Tasks:

Chapter Meetings & Conferences

• Serves as the front-line manager, facilitating the vision of Chapter volunteer leaders, for both in person and virtual meetings. Works diligently to ensure a positive and professionally rewarding experience by conference registrants, presenters, exhibitors, and volunteers.
• Works with TEA’s volunteer Chapter leadership to ensure valuable core content as well as fresh programming and quality presenters; ensure learning objectives are met through a curriculum of educational sessions and roundtables that cover topics from foundational level to technical and emerging issues.
• Collaborates with the meetings department to provide venues, food & beverage, and accommodations for Chapter events.
• Collaborates with the Chief Operating Officer and Accounting staff to ensure proper Chapter event pricing, sponsorships, and other budget impacting decisions are made with a sound understanding of implications for the organization as a whole.
• Liaise with the hotel and vendors on behalf of the Chapters to ensure all our expectations for the programs, room blocks, food and beverage, or other services are met.
• Ensure all supplies and materials required to handle conference and meeting tasks are available in a timely manner; know association rules and regulations and implement them as needed.
• Drives decisions and action against deadlines and a calendar.
• Utilize TEA AMS (Fonteva) to generate Chapter event registration and e-commerce.
• Tracks and generates conference and meeting attendance and financial reports.

Chapter Administration & Volunteer Support

• Maintain Chapter micro-websites through TEA CMS.
• Works with Chapter leadership to formulate and manage chapter program income and expense and manages the same to produce income for association activities.
• Works directly with Vice President to obtain RFP’s and negotiate venue contracts for CEO signature and facilitates other administrative functions such as hotel deposits, insurance certificates, and other guarantees in fulfillment of these contracts in a timely manner.
• Arranges Chapter governance meeting space or conference call credentials and assists in the facilitation of Chapter Officer and Executive Meetings.
• Collaborates with the Chapter Development Officer and other senior professionals on emerging meeting and conference programming as required.

Special Position Requirements:

The ability to communicate face to face and/or via video conferencing effectively with membership, association staff, and conference facility/hotel/vendor staff; the ability to keep a cool head when things do not go as planned and respond in a nimble fashion to address problems as they arise; knowledge of hotel operations; knowledge of hotel hierarchy; the ability to make decisions quickly with sound judgment and at times with incomplete information.  A bachelor’s degree in communications/hospitality or related field is preferred commensurate experience will be considered.  Must be proficient in Microsoft Office and knowledge of design software is a plus. 

Travel Requirements:   Position will require periods of somewhat frequent travel, especially in the spring and fall when Chapters traditionally host their meetings and conferences.  Primary responsibility for Chapter conferences and events, but also anticipated travel for the National Conference in May (Washington, DC), and Employee Ownership conference and trade show in November (Las Vegas, NV). 

Typical Event Calendar:

• Chapter Events – All Chapters host at a minimum Spring and Fall meetings in their respective regions, these meetings will require Chapter Director travel/presence. There are also between 10-25 Chapter activities (roundtables, Officer calls, planning meetings, budgeting) per Chapter each year not requiring travel but requiring logistical support such as e-commerce, registrations, nametags, agendas, speakers’ listings, conference call bridges, etc.
• National Conference – The Annual National Conference in Washington, DC is the second largest conference of the year attracting approximately 800-850 attendees every May. Associated with this event are three additional activities – Advocacy Day, the Annual Awards for Communications Excellence (AACE) Gala, and a quarterly meeting of the TEA Board of Directors. 
• “Employee Owned XXXX: The Conference and Trade Show for ESOPs” – Billed as the most important employee ownership event of the year, this annual Las Vegas based event is the largest conference and show sponsored by TEA. Typically held in mid-November the event incorporates numerous governance meetings, an event for the EOF, the Annual Awards for Communications Excellence (AACE) program, as well as three days of conference activities and a concurrent two-day trade show.