Metro NYSAE Presents: ExecConnect — A High-Impact Leadership Retreat

Where C-Suite Association Leaders Connect, Learn & Lead

Monday, July 21–Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Water’s Edge Resort & Spa | Westbrook, Connecticut

(Coming by train? Shore Line East stops at both Westbrook and Old Saybrook stations. Amtrak service is available to Old Saybrook)

 

Overview | Speakers | Agenda | Cost | Registration | Cancellation Policy

 

 

 

 

Join Metro NYSAE for ExecConnect, an exclusive retreat designed for association C-suite leaders and senior executives. Hosted at the stunning Water’s Edge Resort & Spa in Connecticut, this curated leadership experience offers the perfect blend of high-impact education and meaningful connection in a relaxed and luxurious setting.

 

This exclusive retreat offers a forward-focused look at how executive leadership is evolving in response to seismic shifts in workforce expectations, technology, and organizational design. Curated for C-suite leaders, the program blends strategic insight with candid peer dialogue to reimagine how leadership works—and what high-performance looks like—in today’s dynamic landscape.

 

Don’t miss your chance to be part of this exclusive retreat. This is your opportunity to step away from the day-to-day and immerse yourself in two days of focused learning, fresh perspectives, and powerful peer-to-peer networking—all designed specifically for association executives navigating today’s complex leadership landscape. 

 

With limited spots available, this is a unique opportunity for senior leaders to engage and learn with fellow association leaders in a relaxed, inspiring environment. Over the course of the retreat, you’ll have the chance to connect with like-minded peers, exchange ideas, and deepen your professional network in a beautiful setting. From insightful workshop sessions with top speakers to casual networking, every moment is designed to foster collaboration and growth. 

 

This intimate, all-inclusive retreat includes your room, meals, and conference sessions at an affordable price — so you can focus on what matters most: building meaningful relationships with other senior association leaders. Whether you’re sharing insights or learning new strategies, this is an unforgettable opportunity to recharge, reflect, and return to your organization with fresh ideas and renewed energy. 

 

Together, we’ll explore:

• How shared outcomes are reshaping executive collaboration and organizational accountability
• What modern talent strategies mean for hiring, retention, and executive compensation
• How to build agile, high-impact teams in a hybrid and distributed environment
• The changing architecture of the executive suite, from emerging roles to redefined responsibilities
• The opportunities and challenges of integrating AI and advanced technologies into leadership practice

This is more than a retreat—it’s a space to pause, reflect, and reimagine leadership for the road ahead.

 

REGISTRATION FEES (All inclusive rates)

Members              $250
Non-Members     $325 

*Registration fees are all inclusive of lodging, meals, beverages and all conference activities. Please do not contact Water’s Edge directly for room reservations—Metro NYSAE will manage all room arrangements as part of your inclusive conference registration.

Please Note: Due to the highly affordable group rate, the registration fee is per person and remains the same whether you attend for one day or stay overnight.

 

AGENDA

DAY ONE (July 21): Leading Yourself Before You Lead Others
Monday, July 21 focuses inward, placing the spotlight on you as the leader. In a session on the changing architecture of the Executive Suite, three seasoned leaders will share unfiltered perspectives:

 

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Arrivals, Welcome Coffee & Registration

 

11:00 AM | Tour of Water’s Edge Resort & Spa

 

12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Group Lunch/Welcome Remarks from Metro NYSAE Chair, Colleen Harper, CAE

 

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Aligning Leadership, Value and Trends: Executive & Equity Compensation Deep Dive; The Changing Architecture of the Executive Suite, from emerging roles to redefined responsibilities

Adam B. Cantor, Partner at FordHarrison, will address the legal and structural shifts reshaping leadership roles and compensation packages; Michael Weamer, President & CEO of The Marfan Foundation, brings real-world insight from navigating mission-driven leadership; Becky Graham, Principal at Korn Ferry, will speak to evolving executive competencies and what boards are looking for now.

 

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM | Coffee Break

 

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Steering the Shift: Discover Your Change Leader Style ‎

More than half of association change initiatives fail. The ones that succeed? They’re driven by leadership—not just managing the moment but steering the shift toward a better future.

Great leadership isn’t about keeping everything afloat during turbulent times. It’s about choosing where you’re headed, staying true to your values, and leading in alignment with your mission without being afraid to question what that means today. And if you’re guiding an association through change (and let’s be honest—who isn’t?), knowing your change leader style is a game changer.

Rhonda Payne, CAE, CEO + Founder of Flock Theory, will guide participants through an interactive workshop on change leadership. It’s an opportunity to get honest with yourself—and get clear about what your team truly needs from you.

 

6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Reception & Networking (Heavy Hors d’oeuvres)

 

DAY TWO (July 22): Leading with Accountability & Vision

 

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Group Breakfast

 

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Organizational effectiveness

How shared outcomes are reshaping executive collaboration, ‎organizational ‎accountability, and business growth‎

Phil Putnam will facilitate a candid conversation about organizational accountability, fostering open dialogue around what it really takes to drive performance and culture change at the top.

 

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Coffee Break

 

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM | Integrating AI and advanced Technologies into Leadership Practice

To close the retreat, Dr. Cecilia Dones, Founder and Chief Data Officer of 3 Standard Deviations, brings her dynamic perspective on integrating AI and advanced technologies into leadership practice. Fresh from her speaking engagements abroad, Dr. Dones will help attendees explore how to lead with intelligence, adaptability, and innovation.

 

12:00 PM | Closing & Departures (Boxed Lunch provided)

 

SPEAKERS

 

Adam B. Cantor
Partner, FordHarrison

 

Adam Cantor focuses his legal practice on employee benefits and executive and equity ‎compensation matters (including deferred compensation). He brings over 25 years of best practices experience. His guidance includes tax, ERISA, corporate, securities, employment, labor ‎and bankruptcy law. He represents both public and private ‎companies, including Boards of Directors and ‎Compensation Committees, C-suite executives, investment ‎committees for 401(k) and pension plans, financial institutions, and ‎nonprofit organizations. ‎For publicly traded companies, Adam routinely advises company ‎management, Boards of Directors, and Compensation Committees ‎on issues related to executive compensation and equity ‎compensation plans, including structuring and negotiation of executive compensation and benefits packages on behalf of both companies and executives. His experience includes drafting and negotiating of employment, severance, change in control and restrictive covenant agreements.

 

Adam, who is admitted to the Bar in New Jersey and New York, received his B.A. from Wesleyan University, M.P.A. from Columbia University, J.D. from New York University School of Law and LL.M., Taxation, from New York University School of Law.

 

 

Dr. Cecilia Dones

 

Dr. Cecilia Dones bridges the academic and business worlds, translating research on human behavior into practical strategies for Fortune 500 companies. As a researcher who “fell in love with telling stories about people using data,” she’s made a career of decoding the subtle signals that reveal authentic human intention in digital environments. Her weekly newsletter “Authentic Interactions” explores how trust forms in virtual spaces, and she’s taught at Columbia Business School, MIT Sloan, and U. Penn Wharton. As both speaker and author, she brings rigorous research methods to the deeply human challenge of maintaining authentic connection when algorithms increasingly mediate our communications. 

 

 

Becky Graham
Principal, Korn Ferry

 

In her role at Korn Ferry, Ms. Graham places CEOs and executives for some of the most prominent regional, national, and international nonprofits. She specializes in the recruitment of senior-level executives for trade associations, professional membership societies, and other philanthropic enterprises. She has worked across myriad industries including agriculture manufacturing, transportation, technology, and others. Ms. Graham joined Korn Ferry from the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, where she led the business development department. She spearheaded the recruitment of new members, cultivated strategic partnerships with the business community, and drove engagement with key stakeholders in the greater Washington DC region.

 

In addition to her career in the nonprofit sector, she has also gained volunteer experience having served on the Advisory Board for Career Services at George Mason University, as well as the leadership team for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man & Woman of the Year Annual Campaign.

 

 

Rhonda Payne, CAE
CEO, Flock Theory

 

Rhonda Payne, CAE (she/her) @my19cents is an association impact strategist and unapologetic hype woman for purpose-driven leaders and learners. As CEO of Flock Theory, she leads a deliberately diverse speakers bureau and management consultancy specializing in organizational design, workforce education, and event strategy. From São Paulo to Singapore and a dozen (and counting) global destinations in between, she’s done the work, with programs and services for members in more than 80 countries. Having led growth and innovation as a chief learning officer, COO, and global VP for professional and trade groups—and with more than a decade of service as a nonprofit board member—Rhonda helps membership orgs push past barriers, be great places to work, and capture competitive advantage with and for the communities they serve. Her passion? To magnify and defend inclusive expertise—from stage to screen, bookshelf to boardroom, and classroom to conference.

 

 

Phil Putnam

 

Phil Putnam is a top voice in people leadership and human performance. His speaking and writing on employee motivation, cross-generational leadership, and buyer psychology has fueled success for many of the world’s greatest companies including Bloomberg, Slack and Salesforce. Following 20 years as a team member and executive leader within world-class Tech organizations including Apple and Adobe, he now shares his most valuable lessons learned with audiences around the world through his GIVE TO GET LEADERSHIP method and his book, Desire-Based Leadership: A Manager’s Unexpected Key to Driving Top Performance.

 

Originally from Sacramento, CA, he made NYC his home many years ago, where his husband and dog are the center of his life and the keepers of his heart.

 

 

Michael L. Weamer
President & CEO, The Marfan Foundation

 

Michael Weamer’s career reflects a steadfast dedication to improving lives through ‎strategic leadership, community building, and unwavering commitment to mission-driven ‎work.‎ Since March 2015, Michael has served as the President and CEO of The Marfan ‎Foundation, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to funding research, providing ‎patient support, and conducting public and medical education for Marfan syndrome, ‎Loeys-Dietz syndrome, Vascular Ehlers-Danlos, Stickler syndrome and related genetic ‎aortic and vascular conditions.   ‎

 

Prior to his tenure at The Marfan Foundation, Weamer spent over two decades with the ‎American Heart Association, culminating in his role as CEO of the Founders Affiliate, a $70 ‎million organization serving the Northeast. And, previously as President of Prevent ‎Blindness.  Weamer’s leadership philosophy emphasizes collaboration and empowerment. He ‎describes himself as a coach rather than a supervisor, fostering a team environment ‎where staff work with him, not for him. He believes in hiring talented individuals and ‎entrusting them with independence while maintaining a unified organizational vision.

 

 

🌟 REGISTRATION HAS NOW CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT

 

Space is exclusively limited to Executive-Level Attendees (Association CEOs, C-Suite leaders, and executive- level association professionals). This intimate gathering ensures every participant has the opportunity to engage deeply and forge authentic connections with fellow decision-makers and innovators in the field. We are grateful for the support of companies that serve the association community. This particular event, however, is intended for executives currently employed by an association. Space is limited, so we kindly ask that only those who meet this criteria register. Thank you for your understanding!

 

CANCELLATION POLICY

Due to the exclusive nature of this high-impact leadership retreat, limited room availability, and our contractual obligations with the resort, our cancellation policy is as follows:

• Cancellations received in writing on or before June 6, 2025 – Eligible for a 100% refund.
• Cancellations received between June 7 and June 20, 2025 – Eligible for a 50% refund.
• Cancellations received after June 20, 2025 – No refunds will be issued.

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to EBrochstein@kellencompany.com. Substitutions are permitted.