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The Southern Association of Colleges & Employers (SoACE)

Established in July 2007 by the merger of the Southeastern Association of Colleges and Employers (SACE) and the Southwest Association of College and Employers (SWACE), SoACE brings 110 years of collective SACE and SWACE history, tradition and professional excellence together into a new association well positioned to thrive and provide leadership and vision to college career services and recruiting well into the 21st century.

SoACE is an association of colleges and employers from across the 15 southern “sunbelt” states, including some of our nation’s most vibrant economies, fastest growing cities, and most diverse populations. Our membership includes more than 800 college career services professionals and corporate human resources/recruiting professionals who hire college graduates.

SoACE brings career services professionals and corporate human resources/recruiting professionals together to network professionally, exchange information about best practices, and learn how we can most effectively facilitate the post-graduation success and employment of the college students in our region.

How was SoACE formed?

In 2003, the leadership of the six regional associations of colleges and employers convened a strategic planning team to look at our profession and make recommendations regarding association structure, management, programs and activities that would most benefit our profession and promote the ongoing viability and relevance of the regional associations. The result of these meetings was a report entitled “Building Our New Direction” (The BOND Report). The BOND Report was presented to the SACE and SWACE Boards and leadership teams and used in their respective strategic planning.

A major recommendation in the 2003 BOND Report was the consolidation of the six regional associations down to four regional association of similar size, scope and focus, including the merger of SACE and SWACE to form a single association.

The SACE and SWACE Boards decided to explore this recommendation further, and in 2004-05 they convened a joint task force to further study the BOND Report and its recommendations specifically as they related to a possible merger of the two associations. This task force studied the BOND Report recommendations regarding the proposed merger including reviewing the advantages/disadvantages and costs/benefits of a merger. It was asked to identify similarities and differences between SACE and SWACE and the strengths and weaknesses of both organizations, along with any issues that would make a merger unfeasible or indicate that a merger would not be in the best interests of the associations and their members. Upon completing their study and analysis, the 2004-05 Task Force recommended proceeding with the merger and conducting thorough due diligence.

The SACE and SWACE Boards accepted the recommendations of the 2004-05 Task Force, and the general membership of both associations further endorsed the concept, with 89% of the collective membership voting in favor of proceeding with a potential merger. As a result, the 2005-06 Merger Implementation Task Force was convened and charged with conducting thorough “due diligence” and developing an draft merger implementation plan and timeline. The 2005-06 Task Force’s report and recommendations were presented to a joint meeting of the SACE and SWACE Boards in June 2006, at which time both Boards voted unanimously to move forward with the merger of SACE and SWACE. In fall 2006, the formal plan for merger was placed before the general memberships of both organizations, and 94% of SACE and SWACE members voted for the plan, legally and officially clearing the path for a July 1, 2007 merger.

Throughout the merger process, SACE, SWACE and SoACE leadership was assisted and supported by the association management firm Baldwin-Hunt Associates. Baldwin-Hunt principals Donna Baldwin-Hunt and Skip Hunt provided association management services to both SACE and SWACE prior to the merger, supported the Merger Task Force team throughout the merger process, and were retained by SoACE to provide association management services for the new association. Legal counsel related to the merger was provided by attorney James Seely with Association Legal Services in San Francisco.

The 2007 merger of SACE and SWACE to form SoACE was the final step in the consolidation of seven regional associations down to four: SoACE, the Midwest Association of Colleges and Employers (Midwest ACE); the Eastern Association of Colleges and Employers (EACE); and the Mountain Pacific Association of Colleges and Employers (MPACE). Leaders of these four regional ACEs meet twice a year to discuss and plan collaborative efforts and exchange best practices and network professionally across regions.

SoACE convened its first annual conference in San Antonio in November 2007 under the theme “Synergy in San Antonio”. This first opportunity to bring the former members of SACE and SWACE together as members of the Southern Association of College and Employers was attended by 560 members (approximately 70% of the then-current membership).

Who led the way?

SACE and SWACE members who helped prepare the 2003 Bond Report included:

Robert Greenberg (University of Tennessee)
Sue Marshall (University of Oklahoma)
Lisa (Meltzer) Miller (Brookhaven College)

Representative of the other Regional ACEs and NACE included:

Michael Avgenackis (Midwest ACE)
Judith Gumbiner (WACE)
Richard Rapp (RMACE)
Marvin Roth (EACE)
Vanessa Singleton (NACE)

The 2004-05 Merger Task Force included:

Cheryl Matherly (Rice University)
Laura Melius (University of Eastern Kentucky)
Kent Phillips (The Walt Disney College Program)
Theres Stiefer (University of Arkansas)

The 2005-06 Merger Task Force included:

Lois Berggren (IBM)
Patsy Hammett (Milliken & Company)
Marcia Harris (UNC Chapel Hill)
Tony Magaro (Southwest Research Institute)
Tony Michaels (Burlington Industries-retired)
Daniel Orozco (Texas A&M University)
Denise Dwight Smith (UNC Charlotte)
Theres Stiefer (University of Arkansas)

The 2006-07 Merger Implementation Task Force included:

Matt Berndt (University of Texas at Austin)
Patricia Blum (University of North Alabama)
Donnie Brown (Tindall Corporation)
Pasty Hammett (Milliken & Company)
Tony Magaro (Southwest Research Institute)
Toni McLawhorn (Roanoke College)
Steve Markert (University of Houston-Downtown)
Tracy Powers (University of South Carolina)
Karen Thompson (UNC Wilmington)
Jeff Wetherald (Sherwin-Williams Company)
Randy Wilson (University of Texas-MD Anderson Cancer Center)

The 2007-08 (and very first) SoACE Board of Directors included:

Karen Thompson, UNC Wilmington (North Carolina), President (Officer)
Donnie Brown, Tindall Corporation (South Carolina), President Elect (Officer)
Matt Berndt, University of Texas at Austin (Texas), Past President (Officer)
Patricia Blum, University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign (Illinois), Director, Finance (Officer)
Jay Killough, Texas Tech University (Texas), Director, Technology
Toni McLawhorn, Roanoke College (Virginia), Director, Professional Development
Curt Schafer, Texas State University (Texas), Director, External Relations & Communications
Nash Montgomery, Norfolk State University (Virginia), Director, College Membership
Dana Smith, Lockheed Martin Space Systems (Louisiana), Director, Employer Membership

Elected in January 2008, the 2008-09 SoACE Board of Directors includes:

Donnie Brown, Tindall Corporation (South Carolina), President (Officer)
Norma Guerra-Gaier, St. Mary’s University (Texas), President Elect (Officer)
Karen Thompson, UNC Wilmington (North Carolina), Past President (Officer)
Clay Woemmel, University of Memphis (Tennessee), Director, Finance (Officer)
Scott Maynard, Mississippi State University (Mississippi), Director, Technology
Toni McLawhorn, Roanoke College (Virginia), Director, Professional Development
Curt Schafer, Texas State University (Texas), Director, External Relations & Communications
Christian Garcia, University of Miami (Florida), Director, College Membership
Eric Pearson, Northrop Grumman (Maryland), Director, Employer Membership