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Tim Hopkins, CAE

Managing Director

Tim Hopkins, CAE

A strategic thinker and facilitator of change, Tim Hopkins helps associations navigate complexity and design futures worth building. As managing director on McKinley’s Organizational Excellence team, Tim brings more than 20 years of experience working with mission-driven organizations to tackle their most pressing strategic, cultural and operational challenges.

Tim partners with CEOs, boards and leadership teams to design and implement strategies grounded in human-centered principles, leveraging tools like OKRs, inclusive facilitation, and organizational assessments to drive alignment and impact.

His collaborative, outcomes-focused approach consistently helps organizations move from vision to execution, strengthening both member value and internal effectiveness for leading associations such as AGU (Advancing Earth and Space Science), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA).

Tim has led major engagements across sectors including healthcare, infrastructure, education, public safety, and science and technology. His project portfolio spans multi-year strategic plans, AI readiness roadmaps, governance redesigns and culture transformation efforts. Whether guiding an executive team through OKR implementation or facilitating a board retreat grounded in conscious inclusion, Tim brings clarity, structure and curiosity to every engagement.

Prior to McKinley, Tim served as the de facto CIO at the International Association of Fire Chiefs, where he led enterprise digital transformation, oversaw business intelligence strategy, and launched the IAFC DELP—a nationally recognized initiative focused on equitable leadership development in the fire and emergency services.

Tim is deeply engaged in the association community. He currently chairs the ASAE Conscious Inclusion Advisory Committee (2023–2025) and has spoken at conferences including the ASAE Annual Meeting, ASAE’s Technology Exploration Conference (TEC), Association Forum Forward, and the AMS Fest Leadership Summit. His published thought leadership focuses on strategy implementation, ethical innovation and inclusive governance.

Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Science from Christopher Newport University and is a Certified Association Executive (CAE). He welcomes opportunities to connect with association leaders exploring what’s next for their strategy, their people and their purpose.

Outside the office, you can find him playing with his two kids, watching sports and cheering on the Liverpool Football Club, or traveling the globe. Some of his favorite places include Sarajevo, Bosnia; Cape Town, South Africa; and Barcelona, Spain.

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