Freeman recalls her decade as IABC president

When Julie Freeman took over as president of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) in 2001, the association was deeply in debt and in danger of collapsing.

“There was grave fear that the association would go out of existence,” Freeman says.

A decade later, IABC is still standing, but its president is taking her leave. Freeman announced last week that she’ll be stepping down at the end of 2011 for “personal projects.” In an interview with Ragan.com, Freeman explained that she wants to be more involved in her children’s lives, and that she has on eye on doing some altruistic work.

Freeman has had her share of detractors during her tenure, but she said she’s proud of her accomplishments at IABC’s helm.

Biggest achievements

“Julie Freeman joined as IABC president when the association was insolvent and facing the worst financial crisis an association can face,” says Allan Jenkins, a business communicator and blogger. “She was instrumental in pulling IABC from the brink, by cutting costs and putting financial controls in place.”