ASTA Members:

 

A little more than two months after we announced our plan to bring the National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA) under the ASTA banner as the ASTA Small Business Network (SBN), we wanted to update you on where things stand, with a special focus on the chapter system.

 

At the time of the August announcement, ASTA had 33 chapters across the country, several of which represented large multi-state regions like Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico in one chapter. At the same time, the NACTA chapter system – now ASTA-SBN – had 42 chapters across the country, most of which were contained in a single metropolitan area or even part of a metropolitan area.

 

We are in the process of merging the two chapter systems together, and have made great progress. Of the 42 old NACTA chapters, 24 will simply rebrand to an ASTA-SBN chapter, 5 are becoming a new ASTA chapter in an area previously not covered by one, 7 are blending into an existing ASTA chapter or have already done so, 5 have disbanded and 1 remains TBD. We expect to have an updated chapter webpage outlining the new, combined chapter structure in the near future, but some of the highlights of the new system include an Atlanta ASTA Chapter headed by Judy Duke (previously the NACTA Chapter Director in Atlanta) and new ASTA chapters in metro areas previously uncovered like Austin, Charlotte and Dallas. 

 

We urge all ASTA members to engage with their local chapter, and if one doesn't exist in your area we encourage you to start one – we are especially seeking talented leadership in Albuquerque, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. You can do so by contacting Jasmine Causey, Senior Coordinator, Membership Sales & Service, at jcausey@asta.org. 

 

Thanks to recent changes to ASTA's bylaws, only seven local ASTA members are necessary for the creation of a new chapter. The typical ASTA chapter board consists of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and at least one supplier representative. Another important bylaws change is that each ASTA chapter must have a position at the VP level or above for a member of the ASTA Young Professionals Society (travel advisors under 40) on their chapter board. 

 

We want to take this opportunity to thank the volunteer leadership of ASTA and ASTA-SBN for their time and commitment to our mission and for making the restructuring process a success. We wouldn't be where we are without you!

If you have any questions about the ASTA chapter system or anything related to the Society's work, don't hesitate to contact us at askasta@asta.org.

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