Bostrom Announces the Retirement of Dede Gish-Panjada and Her Receiving the Excellence in Leadership Award from the AMC Institute

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bostrom, a leading association management company (AMC), announces the retirement of Dede Gish-Panjada, effective at the end of 2024. Dede, who has been an integral part of Bostrom’s growth and success, will be honored by receiving the Excellence in Leadership Award at the upcoming AMC Institute AMCs Engaged Conference in Montreal, Canada on July 30. Being selected to receive this award recognizes her contributions to the industry and her unwavering commitment to sharing her leadership and time to AMC Institute.

Throughout her tenure at Bostrom, Dede has held several key positions, while holding the title of Chief Consultant and most recently, Chief Operating Officer. Her versatility and passion for staff development, applying association and business trends into Bostrom’s consulting practice, and adding to the existing excellence in Bostrom’s operations have been instrumental in driving business growth, shaping the company's value proposition, developing staff, and enriching the organizational culture. It is hard to imagine a Bostrom without her, despite the months of succession planning for her retirement.

"Dede's leadership has been pivotal to our success and positively impacted our clients and staff," said John Dee, CEO of Bostrom. "She has consistently demonstrated business acumen, strategic insight, and compassionate leadership. Her ability to jump in wherever needed, even before we realized the need, has set her apart as a remarkable leader and professional."

With Dede's retirement, her numerous responsibilities will be distributed among the Bostrom Executive Leadership and Strategic Management Teams, ensuring a seamless transition and continued excellence in service delivery to our clients.

Dede's professional journey is marked by her business savvy, strategic mindset, compassion, curiosity, meticulous attention to detail, and an insatiable appetite for learning. Her 30 plus years of association executive experience have seen her lead complex not-for-profit organizations both national and international in scope. At Bostrom, she has been a cornerstone of training sessions on leadership development, not-for-profit business best practices, association trends, and future planning.

"I love challenges and enjoy helping staff, volunteer leaders, and organizations develop and achieve things they never thought possible," said Dede. "I am energized by being around interesting people and believe that a positive, inquisitive attitude is contagious and hope to carry that forward in my future adventures wherever they take me."

Before joining Bostrom, Dede led the association management division of another AMC, overseeing a team of 35 staff who managed 30 clients, and was a member of the Senior Management Team responsible for both divisions. She holds a master’s in business administration with a concentration in organizational change and development and strategic planning from the University of Kansas and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Avila University in Kansas City, MO. Her professional affiliations include the American Society of Association Executives, Association Forum of Chicagoland, the Kansas City Society of Association Executives, and the AMC Institute for which she served in numerous volunteer roles concluding as Chair of the Board of Directors for a two-year term.

As Bostrom prepares for this transition, we extend our deepest gratitude to Dede Gish-Panjada for her exemplary service and leadership. We celebrate her remarkable career and the indelible mark she leaves on Bostrom and the association management industry.

About Bostrom

Bostrom is an association management company providing management, outsourcing, and consulting services to professional societies, trade associations, foundations, and other not-for-profit organizations from Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices. As a professional services firm focused on purpose-driven organizations, our personalized services are built upon a close-knit culture of diverse and talented people that deliver cutting-edge, long-term solutions with proven results. Bostrom is passionate about and dedicated to transforming organizations through client experience, culture, and value. Find out more at www.bostrom.com.