Meet a Member: Jamila Perry Harley, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Jamila Perry Harley, MEd, CCC-SLP, CAE, is the director of career management services for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She joined PAR in 2024 and is a member of PAR’s 2026 Business Development Leadership Accelerator Group. Here, she shares how her new speaker series will benefit members and sponsors, why innovation must be grounded in relationships, and what has sustained ASHA for over a century.

Burning Questions

PAR: What’s a recent project or initiative you're especially proud of?

Perry Harley: One of the initiatives I’m most proud of is launching the Career Pivot Speaker Series, which begins this July. It grew out of a simple insight: Career change is deeply personal, yet many professionals experience it in isolation. While our Career Transitions Mentorship Program provides one‑to‑one, peer‑driven support, I saw an opportunity to extend that impact by elevating real stories from members who have successfully pivoted and are willing to share what worked, what didn’t, and what they wish they had known sooner.

The speaker series is intentionally designed to do more than inspire. It elevates members as thought leaders, strengthens the value of association membership, and introduces a mission‑aligned approach to non‑dues revenue. This is particularly important at a time when traditional recruitment advertising is softening and employers are looking for more authentic ways to connect with an increasingly passive and discerning audience.

Across industries, we are seeing a broader shift. Transactional advertising alone no longer resonates. Employers want credibility and context, and they want to build trust. By centering career development content and lived experience, the Career Pivot Speaker Series creates an environment where sponsors and advertisers can engage in ways that feel relevant and human.

The lesson for me as a business development leader is clear: Engagement drives revenue, not the other way around. When members feel seen, heard, and invested in, they become more open to learning, opportunity, and the partners who support that ecosystem. This initiative reflects my commitment to adaptability, innovation, and building long‑term value for members, advertisers, and the organization.

PAR: What’s in your secret sauce for success?

Perry Harley: If I had to distill my secret sauce down to one principle, it would be this: Innovation only works when it is grounded in real relationships. I’ve learned that pursuing new ideas without staying closely connected to the people you serve may create short‑term momentum, but it rarely leads to lasting engagement.

In my current role, success comes from continually innovating while staying in active conversation with members and advertisers. Today’s members are more informed, more vocal, and more values‑driven than ever. They expect transparency and authenticity not only in programming but in how associations generate revenue and make decisions.

Rather than viewing increased scrutiny as resistance, I see it as a sign of trust. Members want to understand the reasoning behind decisions and to feel included in the process. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that inviting feedback early and listening without defensiveness builds alignment rather than friction.

At the same time, associations have fiduciary responsibilities that require balance. The work is not choosing mission over sustainability but holding both together. The same is true for advertiser relationships. As audiences become more passive, transactional approaches lose effectiveness. Sustainable results come from relevance, credibility, and connection.