Angel Insights Blog

By: Linda Smith, ACA Chair

Last week, I made a very special announcement at the ACA Leadership Workshop:  after an incredible 14-year run, our esteemed Executive Director, Marianne Hudson, told us she intends to take early retirement.  When she told the ACA Board about her wishes quite recently, Marianne also graciously offered to stay with us until her replacement is brought into the organization.  The Board respects her decision and especially appreciates her dedication to continue leading the association until a new leader is with us.

ACA will continue to operate at full speed while Marianne is at the helm, aggressively pursuing strategic initiatives in education, data analytics, public policy and more.  We anticipate transitioning to new leadership in 2019.

The ACA Board is developing a plan to find and recruit a new Executive Director to provide leadership for the next phase of ACA’s very bright future.  At times throughout the process, the Board will update ACA members on the search effort.  The plan is to seek out the viewpoints and input of our members.  Please stay tuned.  I’m sure Marianne will have more to say later too.  If you have questions or ideas in the meantime, please reach out to me or Marianne

Please join me and the ACA Board in expressing our gratitude to Marianne.  She is the founder of the Angel Capital Association, working with angel investors across the U.S. and Canada.  She sponsored events in 2002 and 2003 that led to the formation of ACA as a program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in 2004 and then spun out the association as an independent organization in 2007.  Since then, the association has grown considerably in membership and benefits for members and is respected across the globe.  Members of Congress and agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission seek out ACA’s opinions on legislation and regulatory policy.

Marianne will remain an angel investor and member of ACA, so you might see her at some future ACA events.