Sheri Jacobs

Sheri Jacobs, FASAE, CAE, an association management veteran, formed the Avenue M Group, LLC in 2009 after serving nearly three years with McKinley Marketing as Managing Director and nearly five years as the Chief Marketing Officer and director of membership for the Association Forum of Chicagoland. At the Forum, Sheri directed the marketing strategy for all revenue-generating programs, products and services. Under her management, Forum membership increased by more than 34 percent and annual meeting attendance grew by nearly 60 percent. Prior to her tenure at the Forum, Sheri spent six years working for the American Bar Association and the American Academy of Implant Dentistry where she managed recruitment and retention programs, volunteer committees and activities, and affinity implementation. In addition to her association experience, Sheri was key member of the team that launched the nation's largest online payroll company SurePayroll. In 1994, Sheri founded the nonprofit organization Picture This Projects (PTP). PTP is a Chicago-based group of volunteer photographers and other community members supporting and creating photography projects that encourage creative expression and self-esteem and help bridge the gap between people of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Sheri is a frequent speaker and a contributor to various associations and publications. She is a past chair for ASAE and The Center for Association Leadership Membership Council and a current member of the Marketing Council. She is also the co-editor and contributor of ASAE and The Center's official Membership Handbook, Membership Essentials (see sidebar for publication) and serves on the Association Forum's Professional Practices Committee and Board Nominating Committee. Sheri earned her BA in journalism and history from Indiana University and was selected as a MacArthur Foundation Fellow for the nonprofit management program at Roosevelt University. In her spare time, Sheri is an avid marathon runner and photographer.