GOAT Awards: Advancing Association Business
Celebrate the 5th Annual PAR GOAT Awards—Greatest of All Twenty Twenty-Five! This year, every honored GOAT represents a powerhouse of insight and innovation driving associations forward. From remarkable content generation, to sales leadership and intentional networking mastery, this year’s GOATs live and breathe association business. We’re not naming just one winner; instead, we’re celebrating a collective of visionary leaders shaping the future of association business and mission.
Join us to hear directly from these remarkable GOAT Honorees as they share must-have strategies, bold ideas, and practical wisdom that you can use to elevate your association’s impact and growth. This inspiring dialogue is your chance to gain fresh perspectives, actionable takeaways, and connect with the very best minds advancing the practice of association business.
This event is open access! Use code PARGOAT at checkout to join as our guest.
Sean Soth
Founder & Leadership Advisory Board Chair
Sean Soth is the founder and Leadership Advisory Board Chair of Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR), a member community designed to help association teams grow revenue and build stronger business development cultures. Based near Baltimore with his wife and two boys, Sean has spent his career leading association teams across healthcare, education, legal, tech, engineering, and consumer sectors, always focused on better relationships, smarter programs, and healthier bottom lines.
He launched PAR in 2019 to create a place where association professionals and strategic partners could learn, share, and grow together around revenue and business impact. In his work with PAR, Hi‑Fidelity Group, and Webvent, Sean champions practical business development thinking — helping teams turn strategy into real results.
Jen Smith
Executive Director
Jen Smith is the Executive Director of Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR), where she leads the overall strategy, member engagement, and program direction for the PAR community. With a strong background in association leadership, revenue strategy, and member-focused programming, Jen is responsible for advancing PAR’s mission and ensuring that members see clear value in every touchpoint.
Jen is passionate about building a vibrant, resource‑rich community where association professionals and partners can grow their skills, revenue, and influence together. Through cohorts, events, tools, and strategic partnerships, she helps members like you strengthen their business development capabilities and deliver greater impact within their organizations.
Dan Cole
Sr. Director, Exposition Sales
With over 35 years of professional sales and leadership experience, Dan Cole is a renowned executive, writer, and speaker known for his expertise in sales fundamentals and team success.
Formerly Senior Vice President of Strategic Relationships at the International SPY Museum, Dan has transitioned to new endeavors, now serving as Head of Sales at AVIXA’s InfoComm show. His previous roles include executive positions at Hargrove, Inc. and over 16 years at the helm of business development for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and its parent organization.
Dan’s career journey began in sales at Lanier Worldwide, leading him through notable roles at National Trade Productions, Advanstar, and Yellowbrix. He has earned prestigious awards such as IAEE’s Most Outstanding Sales and Marketing Executive and the International Business Awards Most Outstanding Sales Executive. In 2024, he was nominated for PAR’s (Professionals for Association Revenue) GOAT award. He serves on the Center for Exhibition Industry Research’s (CEIR’s) Research Council and leads the PARS Business Development Accelerator Group. His dedication to excellence continues to shape the industry landscape, making him a sought-after figure in sales and leadership. Dan remains an established top authority in sales and leadership, sought after throughout the industry.
Krystle Kopacz
CEO
Krystle is the founder and CEO of Revmade, an award-winning research and content strategy company that applies an audience-driven approach to content creation and channel distribution. Krystle has led content strategy development for startups, non-profits, associations, and Fortune 5 companies, helping them find the way to authentically connect with their audiences to advance their business goals. Revmade has been recognized with more than 50 industry awards for its work in its 7 years of existence. Prior to starting Revmade, Krystle was COO at Atlantic Media, running content, product and audience strategy, and worked in a venture-backed healthcare startup.
Speaker Experience: Krystle has spoken at dozens of conferences, including the RevUP Summit, Mid Atlantic Marketing Summit, Future Leaders in Travel, Professional Women in Advocacy Conference, Association Media & Publishing, the Software & Information Industry Association Conference, Super Niche, the Folio:Show and the Business Information and Media Summit.
Carrie McIntyre
Principal
Carrie McIntyre founded Navigate, a sales and customer experience consultancy that helps associations reach their revenue destinations. She’s known for helping association staff feel confident wearing their sales hat and turning association industry partners into enthusiastic advocates through exceptional customer experiences. With a 30-year career that began in association membership and marketing, Carrie transitioned to sales and customer success roles at several for-profit companies serving associations before starting Navigate in 2023. She’s an active member and content contributor for ASAE, TSAE, and PAR.
Brittany Shoul
SVP, Revenue Strategy & Operations
Brittany Shoul serves as SVP, Revenue Strategy & Operations for MCI USA. She leads the full-service sales team that partners with associations to deliver outsourced media, advertising, sponsorship, and exhibit sales. Brittany oversees transition management for incoming association relationships, training and development of sales talents, and sales management for full-service sales clients. During her time with MCI, Brittany has worked with more than 50 associations to help them maximize their non-dues revenue. Her approach to sales operations drives success for each client relationship. Brittany earned a double major in Mass Communications and Communication Studies with a minor Psychology from Towson University and is a member of ASAE and PAR.
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Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a CAE Approved Provider.
Professionals for Association Revenue (PAR) is a CAE Registered Provider. The program(s) linked below meet the requirements for fulfilling the professional development requirements to earn or maintain the Certified Association Executive credential. Every program that we offer that has been approved for CAE credit will clearly identify the number of CAE credits granted for full participation. We will maintain records of your participation in accordance with CAE policies. For more information about the CAE credential or Registered Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.