Debbie Trueblood, MSW IOM FASAE CAE
Debbie Trueblood, MSW IOM FASAE CAE, is a senior consultant for AMC Consulting Services, supporting associations with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training; ethics; governance; and strategic planning. She is drawn to associations because she truly believes associations have the power to change the world.
Debbie brings more than 20 years of association leadership experience as a consultant. She became an Executive Director in 2002 and has served in that role for Illinois Park and Recreation Association, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Academy for Eating Disorders, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and the International Association of Rehabilitation.
Under her leadership, her former association engaged in a multifaceted DEI program that was rolled out nationally was honored with four American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Power of A awards for DEI, leadership development, a mentoring program, and a member engagement campaign, as well as being a finalist for a public relations campaign.
Debbie draws on her social work training to create a judgement-free space where people can learn, heal, and find a pathway forward together. She believes, “Ethics, DEI, governance, and leadership are all intersected. We cannot be ethical leaders if we leave people behind.”
Active in the association community, Debbie serves on the boards for the ASAE and the National Association of Park Foundations (NAPF) and as faculty for the ASAE Exceptional Boards program. She became a Fellow of ASAE (FASAE) in 2022 and became a Certified Association Executive (CAE) in 2008. She was the 2018-2019 Chair of the ASAE Ethics Committee and led the development of the ASAE Ethics Toolkit. She is past chair of Association Forum's Welcoming Environment Committee.
Debbie has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois–Chicago, is a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management (IOM) and Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership, was a recipient of the Association Forum Forty Under 40 award, and received the IPRA Diversity Section Icon award in 2019.
In her free time, Debbie enjoys supporting live theater both as a patron and a volunteer, and spending time with her family.
