Beacon of support

The IREM Association Executive (IAE) Advisory Council plays an important role within IREM’s organizational structure. The IAE Council acts as a thoughtful guide in supporting our chapters and recommending, developing, and implementing tools and resources to benefit IREM’s U.S. chapters. The Council’s work touches every chapter of IREM, providing a consistent and reliable foundation for chapter leaders and IAEs to succeed. At the same time, they work to ensure that members across the U.S., regardless of their location, receive a consistent level of service, communication, and support. 

The IREM member experience often starts at the chapter level. It is where members initially connect with one another, access local resources, and engage in opportunities for professional development. Ensuring this experience is continually evolving requires thoughtful leadership and deep insight into the needs of chapter leaders and IAEs alike. That’s where the IAE Advisory Council comes in. 

The purpose of the IAE Advisory Council is to:

• Guide chapter and IAE support, tools, and resources to ensure consistent customer and member experience at the chapter level. 
• Identify customer and member service and experience opportunities, working in conjunction with the IREM headquarters team. 
• Provide insights and advice to the Member Experience Advisory Council. 
• Identify and execute professional development for IREM Association Executives, including programming at IREM conferences. 
• Ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

In addition to the stated purpose, it is the IAE Advisory Council’s role to continually enhance the support structure of IREM chapters and their IAEs. The IAEs play an important role in the success of each chapter, serving as the operational backbone that keeps projects running smoothly and effectively on a day-to-day basis. Each chapter’s overall success hinges on having the right tools and resources to engage members, deliver quality programming, and represent IREM’s values in a consistent, meaningful way. The IAE Advisory Council ensures that practical tools are available to all IREM chapters and are in line with current professional standards across the industry. 

The HQ connection

One of the IAE Advisory Council’s most important functions is working closely with IREM HQ. This collaboration ensures that real-world insights, direct feedback, and meaningful perspectives gathered from IREM chapters across the U.S. are considered. Working together, the IAE Advisory Council and IREM HQ ensure that the available tools and resources meet current needs and anticipate future trends and challenges. Although none of the IAE Advisory Council members are IREM members, their role contributes the vital perspective of the chapter-level experience and the real challenges and responsibilities IAEs face daily. This close collaboration ensures that decisions made at the organization level are grounded in the practical, lived experiences of IREM chapters and their leadership. 

Meeting professional development needs

Another major ongoing focus area for the IAE Advisory Council is IAE professional development, an area that continues to grow. IREM Association Executives have a myriad of backgrounds when they are hired in their local chapters. They are tasked with managing a wide range of responsibilities from member engagement and event planning to administrative duties, budgeting and more. As the backbone of chapter operations, IAEs require ongoing training and support to navigate changing industry dynamics, evolving technologies, and shifting member expectations and needs. 

The IAE Advisory Council makes every effort to identify areas where IAEs need to grow professionally and work to execute development opportunities that meet those needs. This includes planning and delivering meaningful programming at events like the IREM Leadership Forum, coordinating a specialized in-person workshop, participating in virtual training, developing various parts of an IAE curriculum, or recommending resources that are thoughtfully tailored to the unique responsibilities of an IAE. Ultimately, the goal is to provide IAEs with the practical tools required to perform their duties today and the knowledge and confidence necessary to lead into the future successfully and sustainably.

The IAE Advisory Council serves as a vital bridge between IREM HQ and the organization’s local operations. By maintaining a clear focus on essential priorities such as tools, member support, customer experience, strategic insight, and professional development, the IAE Advisory Council helps ensure that every IREM member, regardless of their location, benefits from a consistent, well-supported experience. The IAE Advisory Council is not just a support system behind the scenes; it ensures IREM continues to evolve in a thoughtful, member-focused way while staying true to supporting those who lead it.