Pros
Many staff and members are smart, interesting, and passionate. Personally, I also had a pretty laidback workload for most of my time there, but this varies a lot by department and role.
Cons
Senior leadership is short sighted, under qualified, and indifferent to the concerns of most members and staff, despite putting on a touchy feely front. Decision making (especially regarding HR policies and compensation as well as the handling of the pandemic) has nothing to do with the values of equity and transparency that leaders espouse. The association is an organizational and financial mess that’s hemorrhaging staff and can’t afford to replace the employees who leave, leaving key positions like CFO, DR Director, and Development Director vacant on the scale of years in order to save money. My sense is that those in charge aren’t particularly concerned about attrition because people quitting makes it easier to make payroll month to month. Leaders talk frequently about the need for ALA to adapt and evolve in order to survive, but the organization seems too deeply stuck in the 20th century to meaningfully change, at least without truly visionary and competent leadership.