Skips Thoughts: Recap on 2026 CMAA Conference in Anaheim

What a great Conference, and what an incredible week of Netgiving!!!

As we move toward our 100th as an association, and I hit my 40th year as a member of CMAA, it’s hard not to feel the weight and the wonder of that milestone. I joined CMAA in 1987. The fact that we are still growing, still gathering, still pushing each other to be better – that says everything about this organization.

I need to recognize Jeff Morgan, Kim Pasquale, Jason Koeningsfeld, Melissa Low, and the entire CMAA team – here in Anaheim and back home holding down the fort in Alexandria – THANK YOU. You make every one of us feel valued as members and vendor partners. And a special thank you to Kelly Jo, who coordinates the Expo. Thank you, we appreciated your help. We had a really good Expo.

And to my fellow CMAA members and attendees – wow. There is simply nothing like being with your tribe. Be able to regenerate, to regain the passion and charge of our batteries.

The general sessions were outstanding, like Bobby Stucky and how he shared his leadership tools, and Drew Bledsoe and the alignment between leading a football team and leading his business, Doubleback Winery. The breakout sessions are informative, like Rabi Avi Olitzky talking about what the data says and not saying, or Scott Tillema sharing his thoughts and knowledge on Communication and Connection he learned as a SWAT negotiator, and many more, which at times were genuinely affirming. Still, it’s about NETGIVING, which never gets old. The hallway conversations, the ideas exchanged over lunch and a few well-earned libations, the sharing of highs and lows, and the quiet but powerful reminder that we are all willing to help each other – that’s what regenerates me every single year.

This is a profession of hospitality that is the best and worth elevating.

A fuller reflection is coming – once I’ve had a chance to sit with the week. Stay tuned for the post-conference blog.