Tips for avoiding reputational harm while protecting the organization from legal issues.
In December 2025, Forbes published "The Best and Worst Ways that Crisis Situations were Managed In 2025," highlighting the crises that became headlines: the Cracker Barrel's logo, the Astronomer CEO at the Coldplay concert, and the American Eagle's Sydney Sweeney ad. In each case, the company had the opportunity to manage perception as the issue was evolving, and before viral posts damaged their reputation. Instead, they avoided communication hoping that silence would protect them. Join the March AXC featuring Larry C. Smith, JD, CAE, executive director and principal consultant for IIB Association Group, as he discusses similar association examples, the perception paradox, and provides tips for avoiding reputational harm while protecting the organization from legal issues.
About the Speaker
Larry Smith, JD, CAE
is the executive director and principal consultant for IIB Association Group in Chicago, where he shares his passion for best practices and innovation by providing legal and strategic management consulting services to help association boards, executives, and staff fulfill their potential. He has extensive experience in executive and C-level positions in both large and small professional membership associations in the legal and medical fields, including the American Bar Association and the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology. Larry has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles in ASAE and other associations. He currently serves as Chair of the ASAE Ethics Committee, and he is a past Chair of the ASAE Legal Advisory Council.
