INDUSTRY NEWS
DEMA’s New CEO Listens and Looks Beyond the Show by William Cline , Publisher & President of Cline Group, TX
W HEN AN ORGANIZATION welcomes a new chief executive officer, people naturally want to know what will change. In the case of DEMA, those questions carry additional weight because the association represents many different parts of the recreational diving in- dustry. Dive retailers, manufacturers, training agencies, travel providers, resorts and other professionals may
many DEMA members, she is also an experienced diver. “My husband and I have more than 1,500 dives each,” she said. “We received our first certifications in 1998, so we have been diving for about 28 years. We love to dive.” Her professional career has moved between the sports world, nonprofit organizations, higher education and asso- ciation leadership. She previously led the U.S. Olympic
synchronized swimming team and the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association. She also has a lifelong connection to gymnastics. She competed as a gymnast, coached while attending college and is be- ginning her 45th year as a USA Gymnastics and NCAA women’s gymnastics judge. Most recently, Fabsik-Swarts served as CEO of the International Em- ployee Assistance Professionals As- sociation. That position gave her considerable experience working internationally and expanding an association into new markets. She helped grow the organization’s pres- ence in countries including South Korea, Nigeria and Botswana. She also traveled and spoke internationally, experience that should be useful for an association serving a global in- dustry.
share the same industry, but they do not always share the same im- mediate needs.
Julie Anne Fabsik-Swarts, DEMA’s new CEO, understands that she has much to learn before deciding where the association should go next. Her first priority is listening. “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it when you first start a new position,” she said during an interview with Scuba Diving In- dustry Magazine. “I have been spend- ing most of my time on a listening tour and meeting with key stake- holders throughout the industry.” That includes conversations with in- dustry leaders as well as working dive professionals and recreational divers. “I always make a career of knowing what I know and knowing what I don’t know,” she said. “I’m talking with people and learning their thoughts, passions and concerns. I’m really trying to understand where DEMA is and absorb as much as I can.” That is a sensible place to begin. Our industry is made up largely of small businesses, and the challenges facing a dive retailer may be very different from those affecting a manu- facturer, resort or training organization. Before DEMA can decide where to put its resources, its leadership must understand what members are experiencing. A Diver Leading a Diving Association: Fabsik-Swarts comes to DEMA with an extensive background in association management, education and sports. More importantly for
The opportunity to lead DEMA appeared unexpectedly. Fabsik-Swarts was helping her husband look for a position through an association job site when she saw DEMA’s listing. “I was really happy with what I was doing, but this was diving,” she said. “It was like a sign from above. Whatever your passion is, whether you call it faith, karma or divine guidance, I submitted a résumé.” She interviewed shortly before leaving on an overseas trip. When she returned, DEMA offered her the position. “I just could not say no,” she said. “I am excited to be here and help develop and shape the direction of one of my passions.”
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