Meet Marie Stravlo, IOM, CAE

Marie has over 15 years of non-profit experience with a focus on organizational governance and operations. Marie has a passion for creating strong volunteer boards that are guided by a strategic plan and who set clear policy and priorities so that staff and other volunteers can do their job and execute the goals and objectives of the organization.

She is highly committed to the non-profit sector and her industry specific credentials indicate her desire to employ best practices and ethics to any organization she works with. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), a graduate of the US Chamber of Commerce Institute of Organizational Management (IOM), and is sitting for the Registered Parliamentarian exam in the near future. She also studied business administration at the University of Oklahoma.

Under the consultancy Governance Gal®, Marie helps non-profit organizations with governance best practices. She has helped many non-profits with their bylaws, policies, procedures, board orientations, organizational restructuring, volunteer engagement revitalization, and strategic planning.

Marie is also the CEO of Association Development Services, LLC, (ADS) an association management company. The ADS team helps non-profits with their day-to-day operations such as bookkeeping, member services, board and volunteer engagement, elections, event planning, and more. Through ADS, she is also the Executive Director for two association clients (one national and one state chapter). She has served as their Executive Director for the last seven years.

Her ability as a consultant to connect with volunteers in a special way is attributed to her time serving as a volunteer in her community. She has held the roles of president, vice-president, treasurer, trustee, and director for various local and national non-profits in the past. So when she is working with a non-profit, she can empathize with both staff and volunteers in order to find a win/win for all parties.

Recent Governance Leadership by Marie:

Since 2016 through the present, Marie has worked with APTA Aquatics. Here is what one of their presidents said about Marie.

During her career she has:

  • Overseen marketing and registration for 30 annual summer programs;
  • Oriented and led up to 1,000 volunteers a year;
  • Coached many Board of Directors on how to operate at strategic levels;
  • Officiated over association elections;
  • Facilitated strategic planning meetings;
  • Led Board orientations;
  • Guided associations through drafting original bylaws as well as periodic bylaw reviews and amendments;
  • Planned events for thousands of attendees;
  • Drafted and implemented policy and procedure manuals;
  • Raised PAC funds;
  • Brought awareness to advocacy efforts;
  • Rolled out rebranding on multiple occasions;
  • and more!

She is passionate about:

  • Governance – something that puts most people to sleep, energizes her! Governance is the structure of the association and Marie is watchful that the structure and foundation of the organizations ADS and Governance Gal® serve are strong.
  • Ethics – morality is the key in life. She is personally guided by her Christian values and principles.
  • Family – The only rock I know that stays steady, the only institution I know that works, is the family. – Lee Iacocca

Personally, She

  • Is originally from Edmond, Oklahoma so sometimes the word “y’all” slips into her conversation;
  • Has three children and recently empty nested;
  • Enjoys the outdoors, particularly in the warmer months; and
  • Aspires to hike the Triple Crown (the one in Virginia, not the one that traverses the U.S.!)
Image gallery image
Image gallery image