Shawn E. Boynes, FASAE, CAE

Shawn E. Boynes, FASAE, CAE, has over 25 years of association management experience and serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the American Counseling Association. He previously served as Executive Director at the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) in Rockville, MD for nine years where he successfully partnered with volunteer leadership to rebrand and transform the 135-year-old organization into a thriving society committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as leading impactful change in the scientific community. Prior to joining AAA, he served as Senior Director of Education for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). During his career, he has worked for a broad variety of other associations including the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, Greater Washington Society of Association Executives, American Trucking Associations, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.  

In this time, he developed a true appreciation for continuous learning and the value that mission-drive associations bring to the world, which has undoubtedly shaped who he is today as a leader. Focused on influencing positive change.

Shawn is very active with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) having served on its Board of Directors in 2014-2017, the Certified Association Executive (CAE) Commission, as well as a variety of other committees. Shawn was named an ASAE Fellow in 2017 and served as Chair of the ASAE Fellows program in 2022. He is also a Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP) Scholar. He earned his Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2010.

He has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Marketing from Howard University.