CHICAGO, Illinois, May 6, 2016 –The Society for Vascular Surgery Board of Directors is pleased to announce Kenneth M. Slaw, Ph.D., as the society’s next executive director, replacing Rebecca Maron, CAE, who will retire May 30, 2016.
For the past 28 years Slaw has held key senior staff posts at the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 64,000 pediatricians, pediatric subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists. Most recently he has served as the AAP’s director of membership and director of strategic planning.
“After an exhaustive national search and extensive interviews with several superb candidates, our search committee unanimously found Ken to be far and away the most outstanding candidate for the position. We are delighted that he has accepted and enthusiastically welcome him to the SVS,” said SVS President Dr. Bruce A. Perler. “Filling the shoes of Becky Maron, who has guided the society for 13 years, will not be easy for any successor. But we are absolutely confident that his expertise, years of experience and philosophy of association management make him an excellent fit for the Society as we move forward with our plans for growth and service to our members.”
During his time at AAP, Slaw has been a consistent champion for new members, with special focus on early career physicians. He has developed and managed more than 200 organizational strategic plans, as well as multiple national visioning summits on the future of pediatrics, quality measurement and clinical trials.
Slaw has a strong passion for leadership development, serving as lead faculty and architect for the Pediatric Leadership Alliance program, which has provided skill-building sessions for approximately 3,000 physicians.
“Ken Slaw clearly has the skill set, demeanor and intellect to take the reins of the SVS,” said Ron Fairman, MD, president-elect of SVS and chair of the search committee. “We look forward to a long and productive collaboration.”
Slaw is well known in the nonprofit and medical society community, having served as a board member and president of both the American Association of Medical Society Executives (AAMSE) and Make a Wish Illinois. Ken was recently given a double honor by his alma mater, the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, receiving the Humanitarian Award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and being designated as a Distinguished Educator by the College of Education.
“The board and staff of SVS have built a highly successful organization with great foundational strength,” said Slaw. “SVS is poised to meet the challenges and embrace the great opportunities on the horizon in health care. I am excited to be joining the SVS team at this critical time to help members lead the way to the future.”
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The Society for Vascular Surgery® (SVS), with 5,300-plus members, is a not-for-profit professional medical society, composed primarily of specialty-trained vascular surgeons, which seeks to advance excellence and innovation in vascular health through education, advocacy, research and public awareness. The Society is based in Chicago, Illinois.