Meet ASCPA President & CEO Oliver Yandle, JD, CAE What excites you most about being the new leader of the ASCPA?
Oliver Yandle, JD, CAE, became the new President & CEO of the ASCPA on Oct. 12. Yandle previously served as Executive Director of the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA), the largest international organization providing support to people in the legal management profession. He has held CEO-level positions for a number of other professional service and trade associations. He is active in both the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) where he holds the Certified Association Executive designation, and the Association Forum of Chicagoland, where he served as Chair of the Board of Directors. He has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a member of the first class of Chicago’s Notable LGBTQ Executives. Yandle is a native of Louisiana and holds a BA in journalism from Loyola University of the South in New Orleans, and a JD from Washington College of Law at The American University in Washington, D.C.
I am really excited to join the team because I get a chance to work with professionals who are passionate about their profession and who are looking to advance their careers. I have spent most of my professional life in association management, and working with volunteers is something that really energizes me. I also think this is a growth opportunity for me personally. I am moving outside of the legal space, which is where I spent most of my association management leadership career. But I think it is an opportunity for the association, as well. I have had a chance to work with organizations that have had chapter or state-based organizations as part of it, but I have never worked for the state-based organizations before, so this is a really fun opportunity to see it from the other side.
When you look back over your life, what has been your greatest success? In terms of greatest professional success, I would say leading the Association of Legal Administrators through a pretty significant organizational transformation. There was a need for a major overhaul of staff, organizational structure, programs and services. It was a very daunting feat. We developed a detailed strategic plan and had great support from the leadership of the organization. I think we were successful in achieving some significant goals through that whole transformation. In terms of my personal success, I think it is probably my relationship with Jeff, my marriage. It is always hard work, but it is also a source of strength.
What three words best describe you? Well, the first thing that came to mind was bald. But then I thought, that is probably not what you were going for! These kinds of questions are sometimes hard for me to answer, so I asked my husband, Jeff, what three words he would say. He didn’t say handsome. He didn’t say brilliant. He didn’t say talented. But he did say loyal, compassionate and sincere. So, I thought those were three pretty good ones.
JAN/FEB 2021 AZ CPA
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