The American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association (ASTDA) intends to “foster scientific knowledge, develop leadership, and champion practice in the field of sexually transmitted infections.” In 2019, ASTDA’s board was in the process of transition, moving from a set of longstanding board members to a new group of young leaders. Facente Consulting was hired to facilitate a half-day session at ASTDA’s Vancouver-based board retreat to help the new board reach consensus on ASTDA’s organizational goals and purpose. During this retreat, the new board of directors successfully developed a final mission statement, as well as an updated list of objectives, values and commitments, to bring the organization into a new phase of work.
This effort was so foundational to the growth and progress of ASTDA that the leadership invited Facente Consulting back to their 2022 board retreat to lead the group to develop a series of strategic priorities. Facente Consulting designed an interactive agenda that helped the nearly two dozen board members prioritize their ideas for future activities by both feasibility and impact. With the help of Facente Consulting’s facilitation at this second half-day event, the ASTDA board ultimately came to agreement on several key initiatives and action items for the next three years.