Development of a professional quality assurance society – the SQA model

A snapshot of the Society of Quality Assurance (SQA) entering the 21st century showed declining income and financial reserves, stagnant membership, increasing costs, and frustrated volunteer leadership and administrative management. At the end of the year 2000, the SQA Board of Directors made the bold decision to replace its present management with a new firm that had been formed for the specific purpose of managing the business affairs of SQA, under the leadership of a Quality Assurance (QA) professional with experience and expertise in the management of nonprofit, international professional societies. With that decision made, subsequent SQA Boards seized on numerous opportunities that served to increase income and financial resources, grow membership and membership benefits, hold costs, serve the identified needs, and anticipate the future needs and desires of the leadership and membership of SQA. The changed infrastructure has successfully served to support and nurture the growing and developing needs of QA professionals working in Good Clinical Practice (GCP), Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulated environments. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.