Megan Cruz brings a deep background in association leadership and a talent for guiding organizations through moments of strategic clarity and transformation. As a practice director at McKinley Advisors, she helps associations chart bold paths forward by facilitating complex insight generation and consensus-building. Her work blends analytical insight, empathetic leadership, and structured facilitation to help clients navigate change with clarity and confidence.
In her strategic planning work, Megan partners with boards and executive teams to define success, focus organizational priorities, and build plans rooted in maximizing mission-aligned impact. She has led planning engagements across a wide range of sectors, helping organizations align vision, voice, and value in a rapidly changing environment. Her facilitation style is inclusive and outcomes-oriented, ensuring clear strategic direction and actionable next steps. Recent clients include the American Marketing Association, Tax Analysts and National Multifamily Housing Council.
Megan also serves as a lead facilitator and advisor in mergers and affiliation explorations, supporting organizations through high-stakes decision-making with transparency, trust, and rigor. She helps clients assess fit, clarify goals, and build consensus among stakeholders while preserving mission integrity and advancing long-term impact. Her recent merger work has included engagements with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), now the National Alliance for Care at Home.
Before joining McKinley, Megan spent 14 years in association leadership, including serving as Executive Director for four associations and leading a member services team as Senior Vice President at a Washington, DC–based association management company. She began her career at ASAE, fostering international partnerships to connect association professionals around the globe.
Megan earned her Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential in 2017 and holds a BS in Business Administration from Georgetown University. She also brings energy and discipline from her background as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and her passion for inspiring groups to overcome challenges and achieve great things is unmistakable in her work with clients.
A longtime DC resident by way of Houston, Megan loves exploring new places, connecting with new people, and finding inspiration in unfamiliar perspectives—whether across the table or across the globe.
Read Megan's latest posts on the McKinley Insights Blog
How to Collaborate: Aligning Foundation and Association Strategic Plans
Bridging Strategy and Implementation
