Meeting CSI’s new executive director

INSIDE CSI
Mark Dorsey, FASAE, CAE
“Great members, great history, and great potential”—these are the three things thought when I learned of the opportunity to become CSI’s next executive director and CEO.

CSI has educated thousands of construction professionals and can reach thousands more. It makes a difference in people’s lives and careers. Supporting you and working with CSI’s leadership to make a difference in the construction community is why I’ve come aboard.

Many challenges are ahead of CSI, but chief among them is maintaining relevance and providing clear, compelling value to you and the industry. This ‘value’ is more than a list of benefits and discounts to people. It is also in the experiences you share with each other, as well as the next generation of CSI membership. This experience can, and should, reflect the best of what any association can offer you in exchange for your time and commitment. After all, CSI is your association, and it should be the first place you think of for the tools and resources you need to succeed.

CSI’s education and certification programs, foundation of knowledge, and technical publications must continually evolve—at an increasing pace—to take advantage of contemporary electronic delivery systems, enable collaboration, and remain vital to construction teams. CSI’s value as the go-to source for professionals who need real-world solutions will be clear and compelling, as defined and communicated by you and other stakeholders.

These broad statements represent significant promise and the potential for change. We are up to this challenge. We’ll need to work together to do this, and I’ve quickly learned CSI members and leaders are the kind of people who like to work together. The warm greetings and offers of help and support I’ve already received have been humbling.

None of this is possible without you, and I very much want to hear about:

• what you want CSI to be;
• what is needed to serve the next generation of members; and
• what is of most value to you.

I hope you will look me up later this month in St. Louis at CONSTRUCT 2015 & the Annual CSI Convention in St. Louis this month. This is shaping up to be a terrific convention—there are Pecha Kucha box lunches (presentations where 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each), the keynote address by futurist Tom Koulopoulos (who will talk about where construction could be headed), and the CSI Night Out at the Budweiser Brew House at Ballpark Village. (For more on the event, running from September 30 to October 3, check out www.constructshow.com.)

Most of all, I’m looking forward to meeting you, and talking about what we can do together in CSI!

Mark Dorsey, FASAE, CAE, is the new executive director of CSI. Previously, he was CEO for the American Snowsports Education Association, home to the Professional Ski Instructors of America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (PSIA-AASI). During his tenure, the group saw record membership during seven of the past eight years, record revenue, and award-winning communications and outreach programs. Dorsey has also served in many capacities for the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), including stints on its board of directors and as chair of its research committee.