Is the traditional association model still fit for purpose in 2026? In this second episode, Jackson is joined by Thad Lurie, SVP of Digital and Technology at American Geophysical Union and recipient of the Association Trends Trailblazer Award, to explore what it really means to lead innovation inside an industry that has traditionally favored stability over speed.

Thad shares the communication-first philosophy behind some of the most ambitious AI pilots in the association space, why incremental experimentation beats "fail fast" in association culture, and what AGU's real-world experience with declining attendance reveals about the pressures facing scientific associations today.

And he closes with something every association leader should reflect on: "Associations worry too much about what was and not enough about what will be."

Topics covered:

• Why communication matters more than technology in driving successful innovation
• Running incremental, low-risk experiments in a consensus-driven culture
• The membership value proposition and whether the annual meeting model is sustainable
• Trust, identity and why peer-reviewed associations are positioned to win in the AI era
• Rethinking the pipeline content model in favor of a platform approach
• Personalization as a tool for member value, not engagement manipulation