How to disruption-proof your association advocacy

Danielle Duran Baron is on a mission to change organizations through storytelling, open communication, empathy and inclusion. As an association executive, she has helped organizations build solid brands, create inclusive environments, and maximize their impact and efficiency. Currently, she is the Staff Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the School Nutrition Association (SNA), where she oversees the development and implementation of the marketing and communication strategy to enhance and protect the SNA brand.
For more than two decades, Danielle has worked in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, helping global organizations find their ideal positioning and authentic voice. Her expertise lies in strategy, marketing, experience design, storytelling and DEI.
She holds a master’s degree in journalism and an MBA in marketing and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese. Danielle is the Chair of ASAE’s Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Advisory Council, a DELP Scholar and a certified association executive (CAE). She is also the President of the Board of Luminus, a Maryland-nonprofit helping immigrants thrive in their communities and the Co-Chair of Alianza Latina, a workgroup created by the County Executive’s Office to address the concerns of the Latinx community in Howard County, MD.

David Lusk, Founder of Key Advocacy, has over 20 years’ experience in policy and government affairs. He specializes in advocate training and developing grassroots and grasstops engagement programs. Since 2010, he has provided highly-customized training for Capitol Visit Days and conducting 365-engagement to over 8,000 association members, nonprofit volunteers and C-Suite executives. David has received national recognition for the advocate networks he built for the Society of Human Resource Management and the Alzheimer’s Association, and these programs now serve as the template followed by numerous organizations for their own advanced-advocacy initiatives.

Key Advocacy’s diverse client base consists of organizations large and small, including the American College of Cardiology, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Library Association, American Medical Association, Microsoft Corporation, National Association of Spine Specialists and Ohio Association of Nurse Executives.

David has written extensively on policy advocacy and engagement best practices. He is frequently tapped for his expertise to speak at industry events hosted by groups such as the Public Affairs Council and National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics. David also serves as the vice chair of the American Society of Association Executives’ Government Relations and Advocacy Professionals Advisory Council (GRAPAC). A graduate of Brown University, David earned degrees in both Public Policy and Business Economics.

Oyango A. Snell is a Certified Association Executive (CAE) and currently serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary for the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA). Oyango oversees WSPA’s legal team and advises the President and CEO and Board of Directors on corporate governance, antitrust compliance, labor and employment, energy matters, and environmental law issues. As an unapologetic advocate for women and racial/ethnic minorities, Oyango also leads WSPA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion movement.

Prior to joining the energy industry, Oyango served as regional legislative and regulatory counsel representing the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI) on critical issues impacting the insurance industry. Before joining PCI, Oyango spent his professional career in state government relations both the public and private sectors in Columbus, Ohio, which included a political bid for the Ohio State Senate. Oyango earned his law degree at The Ohio State University and holds a Master of Business Administration from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. He completed his undergraduate studies at Central State University, a historically Black college in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Oyango is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and registered as in-house counsel with the State Bar of California. He is a member of the American Society of Association Executives where he serves on the Ethics Advisory Committee, the National Speakers Association where he serves as a member of the Online Learning Committee, and the California Society of Association Executives where he serves as Co-Chair of the Inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force. Oyango continues to exemplify a servant-leadership mentality through his work with United Way California Capital Region where he serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors. He and his wife, Shauna, are the proud parents of two boys, Brennan and Carter.