AATA Executive Team

The Executive Team is the core of the organization helping to support more than 5,000 members of the American Art Therapy Association and the important work of hundreds of volunteers serving on its Board and Committees.

	The Executive Team is headed by our Executive Director, Susan Corrigan. Ms. Corrigan, a respected leader in the national/international non-profit sector for nearly three decades, has provided her proven organizational and resource development skills to assist nonprofit organizations improve performance, increase resources, and plan for sustained growth. Her expertise has proven effective worldwide in building organizations, programs, and relationships that achieve results.
	Michele Basham serves as our Director, Membership Information & Programs. She is an accomplished membership and marketing specialist who has over 17 years of experience in the nonprofit community. She is responsible for the oversight and management of membership renewal, customer service programs, web design, and management of the information management system. Additionally, she works closely with several Committees.
	Julia Connell, Communications Manager, possesses more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector as a researcher, project manager, grant writer, board liaison, and administrator. Julia is responsible for communications efforts and outreach to the media, Association membership, art therapy students, and the general public. She also supports the executive director in the development of funding partnerships and performs research related to the profession. Previously, Ms. Connell worked as a patent law clerk for eight years and is multi-lingual.
	Director, Development Member Benefits and Resources, Barbara Florence leads the membership development and benefits program and the resource development initiatives in concert with the Membership Committee and Executive Director. She brings more than 20 years experience in corporate relationship development leading to over $500 million dollars annually in member benefits for the 200,000 charity members of Gifts In Kind. Her training and communications skills honed at the United Way of America will be a valuable asset as the Association increases its membership base.
	Dean Sagar joined the national office team as its Director, Public Policy on April 15, 2013. Mr. Sagar’s career includes work on the federal, state and community level. He has over twenty years experience with federal policy as legislative staff for three Members of Congress and as a senior analyst with the Financial Services Committee and the Small Business Committee of the US House of Representatives. He has also managed federal and state advocacy and grassroots initiatives for national networks of community credit unions and non-profit housing and health services providers as a policy director for the National Credit Union Association and the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. In his most recent position as Director of Government Relations for Livable Communities with AARP, he was responsible for developing and implementing federal and state policy initiatives on a broad range of consumer, community, health and safety issues, as well as providing policy assistance and training for state office and chapter volunteers engaged in local grassroots efforts to reduce home utility costs, enact Complete Streets safety ordinances and require more accessible building design in new home construction.
	Schermeen Washington, CPA, Financial Services Manager, is the owner of Beyond the Numbers, an accounting and business consulting firm providing accounting, bookkeeping, payroll and tax services to small to mid size businesses and nonprofit organizations. A licensed CPA, she received her Bachelor’s of Business Administration in Accounting from North Carolina Central University and Masters Degree in Accounting from Lehman College. Schermeen has over fifteen years of accounting experience in both private and non-profit industries with clients ranging for Fortune 500 companies to nonprofit organizations. Schermeen is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and volunteered for four years as Treasurer of the North Carolina Central University Alumni Association, DC Chapter. Beginning October 15, 2012 she will be working under contract to provide services to the American Art Therapy Association including financial management and reporting Chapter support related to the 990 tax reporting and other accounting services.