Polly Karpowicz, MBA, CAE

Polly Siobhan Karpowicz is a consultant with more than 25 years of association management experience. She leverages her expertise in association research, publishing, communications, marketing, membership, and technology for a variety of associations, and draws upon knowledge gained through various roles as an association executive, consultant, and volunteer throughout her career. Polly asks critical questions to guide associations toward insight driven, constituent-oriented discovery and innovation. She pursues key insight about what members and stakeholders really think, need, and value.

Recently, Polly served as Director of the Center for Association Services at Westat, Inc. for five years. She worked with a range of professional and trade associations and nonprofits to develop robust, tailored qualitative and quantitative research programs, including ASAE’s Impact Every Day research. In this role, she enabled the association sector to benefit from Westat’s formally trained research experts and extensive research capabilities as one of the world’s leading research firms.

Prior to joining Westat, Polly served as Director of Publishing and Communications at the American Political Science Association for a decade. In the seven years prior to that position, she played supporting and senior roles at APSA, in education, professional development, institutional membership, research, international and diversity programs. She launched her career in association management by “happy accident” after college and is grateful for the wonderful opportunities and colleagues she has met along the way.

Polly is an active member of various associations and nonprofits. As a volunteer, she recently served two terms as a member of ASAE’s Research Committee and served as chair of ASAE’s national study on the role of associations in workforce development. Polly is a certified association executive (CAE) and holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a BA in Political Science and History from Saint Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Ind.).