A candid look at AORN's new Executive Director - Executive Director - Association of Operating Room Nurses

AORN Journal, March, 2002 by Nancy K. Kuehl

Ask AORN's new Executive Director Tom Cooper, CAE, what he thinks about coming to a professional nursing association from a medical specialty society and he is quick to answer.

   To me, coming to AORN from medicine is a big step up. Doctors treat
   symptoms. Nurses care for the patient. The perioperative nurse is the
   member of the surgical team the patient can rely on to care for him or her
   during surgery. Every member of the surgical team plays an important role,
   but the welfare of the patient is the principal concern of nurses.

Cooper has experience with the health care system and familiarity with health care issues. He also has tremendous respect for AORN members and their contributions to the health and well being of the people they care for. "The challenges and constraints of the health care system are the same for both medicine and nursing," says Cooper, "but the way the two groups respond to the system is very different." He goes on to say,

   When I have surgery, I want to know that there is a perioperative nurse in
   the OR taking care of me. It the presence of the nurse in the OR that gives
   me assurance of a positive outcome.

Cooper exudes enthusiasm for AORN and AORN members, and he expresses high praise for AORN's leaders.

   AORN is in great shape. We have a strong balance sheet and a significant
   operating reserve, and we are virtually debt free. We have a highly
   regarded professional journal and an annual meeting that is the envy of
   many other organizations. We also have great leaders on our Board of
   Directors, committees, task forces, and governing councils. Those leaders
   are deeply committed to AORN, and they find the time to devote countless
   hours to their association for the benefit of their colleagues.

He has not found that to be common in other organizations with which he has worked. "None have been anywhere near as involved and committed as the leaders in AORN," says Cooper. "AORN's leaders are just incredibly devoted to their association."

WHAT HE BRINGS TO AORN

According to Cooper, the strengths he brings to the organization include his diversity of experience. Cooper comes to AORN with 25 years of top-level management experience, including a background working with physicians, associations, and for-profit companies. In the nonprofit world, Cooper served as director of finance and technology, assistant executive director, chief operating officer, and chief executive officer of the for-profit subsidiary at the American Academy of Neurology in St Paul, and as the director of education and research, director of public affairs, and deputy executive director at the American Collectors Association in Minneapolis. In the for-profit world, Cooper worked as president and chief operating officer of Access Management Corporation in Minneapolis and divisional vice president of I C System in St Paul. Cooper grew up in Chicago and lived in southeast Florida before settling in Minnesota. Cooper and his wife, who is a native of Minnesota, are excited by the opportunities offered by AORN.

At the time Cooper heard about the position at AORN, he knew of the Association through past dealings with AORN's subsidiary, Association Technology Solutions. Cooper was impressed with AORN. He had visited the Headquarters office, met several staff members and gained a favorable impression, and heard good things about the organization. "AORN has a great reputation in the association community," says Cooper. "The other associations in Colorado and the nursing societies throughout the country respect AORN." It did not hurt that the Headquarters office is located in Colorado. Cooper is fond of both the mountains and skiing, though he ruefully admits that he has not found time for either during the past year.

Although Cooper has top-level management experience in the nonprofit sector, he believes that his management experience in the for-profit sector also is extremely important to what he can offer AORN. His experience in a health care association familiarized him with the challenges facing health care, but his biggest asset is the sense of urgency and accountability he brings from the for-profit sector.

   The culture in most nonprofits is that if you don't get it done today,
   there always tomorrow, and if you don't get it done tomorrow, there's
   always next week. That may have worked at one time, but it doesn't work
   anymore. Associations must be nimble, able to make decisions quickly to
   respond to the many challenges that face them and their members ... What
   you gain from collaboration in the association environment, you often lose
   in speed and accountability. I want to maintain the benefits of the
   collaborative environment while building in accountability.

Cooper knows about moving fast and being held accountable. He was president of a company that grew from $1 million in revenues to more than $7 million in just over 12 months. This accomplishment called for rebuilding the company's entire technology infrastructure twice in a period of five months and required an overall investment of approximately $2 million. To be able to pull together the financing, equipment, and people required to rebuild infrastructure while still accomplishing the work of the organization was exceedingly challenging, says Cooper. "The challenges facing AORN, while significant, seem less daunting after those successful experiences."