Christian Ballman

Accomplished nonprofit executive with more than 13 years of leadership experience in association management, governance, and strategic operations. Proven ability to advance organizational missions, grow revenue, and enhance member engagement through visionary leadership and operational excellence. Expert in developing sustainable financial strategies, guiding volunteer leaders, and aligning staff and board initiatives toward long-term organizational success.

Vice President, Events and Conferences - American Society of Safety Professionals - Park Ridge, IL

(2024-07)

Director, Professional Development - American Society of Safety Professionals - Park Ridge, IL

(2019-04 - 2024-07)

36,000-member association for OSH professionals with an annual budget of $19 million and a staff of 75. Lead a team of 6 event specialists, coordinators, managers and senior managers who plan, develop and execute a diverse set of conferences and educational events for over 11,000 attendees and exhibitors.

• Manage a $9 million event portfolio serving 11,000+ participants and exhibitors.
• Increased annual conference attendance by 36% and NPS from +26% to +64%.
• Directed organization-wide transition to virtual events, generating $1.4 million in six weeks.
• Developed online education and certification programs generating $4 million+ in new revenue.
• Grew annual conference attendance from 5000 to 6800 attendees over a 5-year period.
• Increased Net Promoter Score (NPS) for the annual conference over a 5-year period from +26% to +64%.
• Negotiate all vendor and hotel contracts for our annual conference and ancillary events.
• Redesigned lunch offerings at the annual conference resulting in over $300,000 in savings.
• Won Trade Show Executive's Fastest 50 award for outstanding show growth in the United States.
• Raised department Gallop satisfaction scores from 3.54 to 4.23 out of 5.0 in less than one year. Second year raised scores again to 4.48. Fifth year scores rose to 4.61.
• Led the development of over 70 online education programs that generated over $3 million in revenue over a 5-year period.
• Executive champion and leader of the society's first virtual DEI Summit that attracted over 500 attendees.
• Led the conversion of our annual in-person conference to a virtual only event with a 6-week turnaround time resulting in revenue of $1.4 million.
• Collaborate with the Standards department and volunteer leaders to identify and produce relevant content for OSH professionals worldwide.
• Partnered with new online certification preparation provider that resulted in over $1 million in revenue since inception.

Senior Director, Education and Learning Services - SmithBucklin - Chicago, IL

(2013-08 - 2019-04)

The nation's largest association management firm with over 600 employees who are dedicated to leading and supporting the missions of client organizations they serve. Led a team of 27 learning and development specialists, managers, senior managers and directors who assist associations and organizations create and deliver innovative educational content.

• Handled the day-to-day operations and directed the planning of a $4 million-dollar annual budget.
• Guided volunteer committees on strategy and implementation of year-round education programs.
• Reduced voluntary attrition in the unit from 10% to 3.6%.
• Led the creation and implementation of a Body of Knowledge for a research-focused association.
• Developed and implemented a virtual planning conference committee program that resulted in saving the association $40,000 while still hitting all objectives.
• Oversaw the execution of multiple contracts and commitments authorized by various Board of Directors and Education and Conference Committees.
• Partnered with a major university to create and implement an Executive Management program geared towards senior-level professionals for a wholesale business association.
• Selected by the CEO for a yearlong intensive leadership-learning forum for top performing employees.

Training Specialist/Adjunct Faculty/Senior Career Consultant - Colorado Technical University (CTU) - Schaumburg, IL

(2010-03 - 2013-08)

Career focused educational institution that prepares over 28,000 students for careers in technical and vocational fields. Promoted to team lead supporting a staff of six Career Consultants assisting over 20,000 graduate and undergraduate students and alumni in the entire career management process.

• Co-led the development and presentation of career-focused "Steps to Success" webinars to students across the United States – over 2000 students attended in initial six months with a 99% satisfaction rating.

Master of Science - Human Resources - Loyola University Chicago

Bachelor of Arts - History - Carthage College