How I Got Here: Kim Schardin, CAE

As Kim Schardin, MBA, CAE, washed dishes during lunch in the sixth grade, she wasn’t thinking she’d grow up to be an association executive. But as the current executive director of three dermatology associations, Schardin says her previous jobs (dishwashing included) have transformed her into the leader she is today. Two lessons she’s learned along the way: “Work hard to make the board and members shine, and when implementing change, be sure the janitors agree it’s possible.”

1980–82: Dish washer in the school cafeteria

1983–86: Local summer-stock theater assistant

1984–86: Set up indoor tennis courts for the high school recreation department

1986–88: Part-time positions at pizza joints and mall stores during college, as well as a stint as a turndown-service maid at a local hotel

1988–92: Bank teller and loan officer

1992–98: College admissions-office secretary

1998–2000: Receptionist at insurance company call center

2000–02: Marketing specialist for a senior-living complex

2003–: Membership and meeting manager at Executive Director, Inc., an association management company

2007–: Executive director for the International Transplant Skin Cancer Collaborative

2011–: Executive director for the American College of Mohs Surgery and the American Society for Mohs Histotechnology