Edward H. Able is a senior consultant at Vetted Solutions, a boutique executive search firm specializing in association and nonprofit recruiting and consulting.
For almost 40 years, Ed Able has been CEO of non-profit organizations and associations. Most recently he served for 20 years as the President and CEO of the American Association of Museums where he led the organization to become the most influential and largest cultural association in the world. He has been recognized for many years as a major leader in the wider non-profit community and was named by the “Non-profit Times” as one of its Top 50 Most Powerful and Influential leaders in the non-profit field for nine years.
He has served on the boards of The National Center for Non-profit Boards (BoardSource) where he was a founder of the organization and served for 13 years as a board member, the American Society of Association Executives(ASAE), the National Humanities Alliance, the National Cultural Alliance and Independent Sector (The national association representing the largest charitable and philanthropic organizations in the country.) He is a Fellow of the American Society of Association Executives and was awarded the Society’s highest award, the Key Award, for outstanding performance and contribution to the field of association management.
In addition, he has been presented with life-time achievement awards by several associations of museums, The Chairman’s Medal from the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous other awards. He was appointed by the Secretary of State to serve as a member of the US Commission on the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Mr. Able is a frequent speaker and media source on museums and non-profits and has been a leader in the areas of governance, ethics and public accountability for non-profits.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia and an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He now pursues a career in consulting with museums, associations, foundations and philanthropic organizations. While his consulting engagements cover a broad range of work, he particularly specializes in non-profit governance, conflict management, leadership development, meeting facilitation and as a mentor/teacher/coach for non-profit Chief Executive Officers.