LaShawn Duckett is NCA’s New Director of Convention and Meetings
WASHINGTON—Today, the National Communication Association (NCA) welcomed LaShawn Duckett, CMP, CAE as the new Director of Convention and Meetings. During her career, which spans more than a decade, Duckett partnered with senior executives to develop planning, logistical, and budgetary strategies to ensure conferences, meetings, and programs achieve organizational goals and objectives.
Prior to coming to NCA, she was the Director of Meetings at the National Science Teaching Association. Previously, Duckett was the Director of Education, Meetings, and Special Interest Groups at the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry,where she was known for improving operational efficiencies and creating high-value experiences for attendees.
“I am confident that NCA’s annual convention, a signature event, and our meetings, will be in good hands with LaShawn. Her systems thinking combined with her wealth of association and organizational experience will introduce innovations to our convenings that are sure to propel NCA into the future,” said NCA Executive Director Shari Miles-Cohen.
Committed to enhancing her knowledge in the field, she earned Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) and Certified Association Executive (CAE) designations. Active in the field, Duckett has served on numerous industry professional committees and groups with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), Association of Women in Events, Professional Convention Management Association, and Meeting Professionals International (MPI); and served as a facilitator to MPIs CMP boot camp.
“It’s an exciting time to be joining NCA and this dynamic and growing National Office team. I am looking forward to applying my expertise to this new work and bringing innovation to our meetings and annual convention,” Duckett said.
Duckett has received several industry honors, including the American Optometric Association‘s President’s Award, the digitalNow Leaders of Distinction Award, and Connect Association’s 40 Under 40. She is an ASAE Diversity Executive Leadership Program Scholar.
Duckett earned an associate degree in business administration from Strayer University where she is also now completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
About the National Communication Association
The National Communication Association (NCA) aims to advance Communication scholarship, teaching, and practice to foster a better world. The NCA serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the NCA promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. The NCA supports inclusiveness and diversity among our faculties, within our membership, in the workplace, and in the classroom; the NCA supports and promotes policies that fairly encourage this diversity and inclusion.
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