As the founder and main worker bee at Rhema Association Management, I have always had to push the boundaries of information technology to do more with less. Back in the mid 1990’s it took a team of four full time worker bees to manage all the details of a handful of growing international societies, their annual meetings, journal subscriptions, membership applications and dues renewals. With today’s advances in information technology all that and more can be efficiently & effectively handled through a well featured Virtual Office and someone who knows how to choose and use the best technology for the job at hand. Over the past 25 years I’ve welcomed the technological changes that have helped to streamline Association Management.

1. A well featured Society Website will draw members and other
stakeholders together to solve their scientific problems,
network with peers internationally and disseminate knowledge
about the field.
Society office,
may I help you?
v Virtual Management Office for Non-Profit Medical & Scientific Societies
Ø Transforming a Society’s Website into a responsive, hard working Society Office
Ø Working with agile teams of experts from California to Germany and everywhere in between
v Scientific & Medical Conference Management
Ø Inspiring new ideas, innovation and discovery
Ø Budgeting, safeguarding the Society from risk & increasing scope and participation

2. Joan Oefner, Owner, Entrepreneur, Association Executive & Society Web Designer
Managing Scientific & Medical Societies since 1992
v Joan has BA degree in Psychology from the University of Colorado, Boulder (1982).
v 10 Year Background in Hotel Management & Conference Sales & Services prior to Association Management.
v Founded Rhema Association Management in 1992 in San Francisco, specifically for Scientific & Medical
Societies.
v Moved to Germany in 2005 and have been pushing the boundaries of Virtual Society Management ever since.
Background & Qualifications
Obtained Certified Association
Executive (CAE) credentials in
1998, American Society of
Association Executives.

3. Full-Service Association
Management Experience:
International Cytokine & Interferon Society
www.cytokinesociety.org
Internation Society for Developmental
Psychobiology www.isdp.org
Past Association Clients:
Society for Molecular Imaging, (2002 – 2006)
now www.wmis.org
CASSS (1996 – 2001) California Separation
Science Society www.casss.org
North American Society for Cardiovascular
Imaging (NASCI), (1993-2005) www.nasci.org
San Francisco Neurological Society (2002 –
2005) www.sfneurological.org
Southwest Chapter of the Society of Nuclear
Medicine (1993 – 2000) www.swc-snmmi.org

4. v Took over the society from FASEB in December 2016 as Managing Director with a Virtual Office
in New Jersey and Regensburg, Germany.
v Reduced Administrative expenses, increased member communications, secured venues for
2018, 2019 and 2020 annual meetings, redesigned the website & new online membership
system.
v Increased social media participation and integrated Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Flickr with
the new website.
Created a branded Career Site on the
Society’s Website, all jobs are shared
via social media, increasing views
Poster Session from the Annual
Meeting in Kanazawa in October, 2017
Redesigned the website in WordPress
with automatica sharing of Posts to the
Society’s Social Media
International Cytokine & Interferon
Society (ICIS)

5. v Began as the Managing Director in December 2017
v Redesigned the Website in WordPress and transitioning the online membership system to
www.X-CD.com wtih an expected comletion date before the end of 2017.
v Integrated the already active Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn pages with the Website and set up a
Flickr site for the annual meeting photos.
v Looking forward to working with this dynamic society which priortizes the interests of the
students, postdocs and early career members.
The New Website www.isdp.org
International Society for
Developmental Psychobiology (ISDP)

6. www.cancermetastasis.org
Congress Management
& Website

7. v Became the Society’s first Executive Director in 2002, two years after its founding until one year after
moving to Germany (through December 2006).
v Organized the Society’s 2nd through 5th Annual Meetings from 2003 - 2006 as they grew year on year
from 650 to 1,250 participants. (San Francisco; St. Louis; Cologne, Germany; Big Island, Hawaii).
v All of this was accomplished with two Virtual Offices, one in the San Francisco area that
subsequently moved to Germany, and one in Texas. Staffing started at .5 FTE and expanded to 1.5
FTE by 2004 .
v Used online association management system (123signup.com) and online abstract management
(abstractsonline.com), as well as Quickbooks online version.
First 5 Presidents of the SMI, whom we
were honored to have worked for.
General Session of the SMI Annual
Meeting in Cologne, Germany, 1072
participants.
Over 75 Young Investigators were
awarded travel grants at the Hawaii
meeting in 2006 on the Big Island.
Society for Molecular Imaging

8. v Hired as NASCI’s first Executive Director in 1993. By 2004 the NASCI annual meeting had tripled in
size to 450 international participants, 100 poster presentations and enthusiastic support from
industry with a lively exhibit area and sponsored “hands-on” workshops.
v The following year the meeting grew to 550 participants as Joan helped the Executive Committee
search for a new association management company before moving to Germany.
v The American College of Radiology is currently managing the society. Joan continued to assist the
editor-in-chief of the society’s journal, the International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging,
supporting the editorial board and reviewers through Springer’s Editorial Manager system through
2012.
Photo from NASCI Strategic Planning Session in 2004 in Washington, DC (Joan is far right)

9. v Designing and maintaining responsive websites utilizing WordPress.
v Responsive, custom branded and well featured, yet flexible and practically self
updating.
v Advanced technology incorporated constantly, the end of stale websites.
Designing Websites in WordPress
CMS

10. Please browse the following examples of websites we've designed in WordPress:
Web Design Examples:
Ø www.cytokinesociety.org As Managing Director, my first priority was to redesign the
website which was previously not responsive and was difficult to find. See also
www.boston.cytokinesociety.org
Ø www.isdp.org Took over the management of ISDP and redesigned the website to
incorporate an integrated online membership, meeting & abstract system (www.x-
cd.com)
Ø www.2018.tularemia.org Conference Management website
Ø www.cancermetastasis.org Congress Management centered around a hard working
website which supports the Organizing Committee’s efforts in program planning,
industry support, abstract management, registration, social media & promotion
Ø www.cellstressresponses.org (includes an online association management system)
Ø www.oldtown.cellstressresponses.org (inlcuded online abstracts and registration)
Ø wwwcongress.cellstressresponses.org (included online abstracts and registration)
Ø www.down-syndrom-regensburg.org (Probono German website to support the local
Down Syndrome community)

11. v Course Manager for Advanced Molecular Imaging and its Clinical Translation
www.advancedmolecularimaging.org.
v In this second itineration of the course, attendance almost tripled by partnering with the World
Molecular Imaging Society and also seeking endorsement by the International Society for Magnetic
Resonance in Medicine.
Advanced Molecular Imaging and
its Clinical Translation Course

12. "The San Francisco SMI meeting seems like only yesterday, but through the years since that meeting you have helped
all of us build a solid foundation for the SMI that will last well into the future. It has been your energy, insights,
experience and tremendous attitude that have turned this society into a well-tuned, professionally run organization,
and built its annual meeting into an internationally renowned platform for reporting on the most important advances
in molecular imaging. You should be very proud knowing that you have contributed greatly to this emerging field,
and we are all indebted to you for helping us build a vibrant organization that serves the imaging community so well.
You have helped convert a vision into a reality, and even though you have left the SMI in the very capable hands of
Charles and his team, we will miss you very much.” Chris Contag, PhD, Past-President of SMI.
"Mrs. Joan Oefner is one of the brightest Executive directors I have worked with. Her passion for the job at hand and
profound knowledge of the business, makes her an asset for anybody, who wants to grow an organization or
business. Excellent personality and outstanding character is recognized by everybody who had or will have the
pleasure to collaborate with her. I therefore can only highly recommend her organizational skills and her exceptional
leadership qualities.” Norbert Wilke, MD, FACC, FSCCT, FESC, Nürnberg, Germany, Program Chair for the 2004 and
2005 Annual Meetings of NASCI.
"Rhema took over management of all functions of the California Separation Science Society in 1996. Our situation was
dire. Under Joan’s leadership, Rhema took over and saved the society from almost certain bankruptcy. Joan’s
outgoing personality, wisdom and drive all combined to make the turn-around exciting and fun. Plus, we kept her
two best employees when she relocated to Regensburg. They are with us still. I recommend Rhema and Joan for any
society that needs competent, energetic management with a respectful soft touch and big smile. She will not let you
down.” Robert Stevenson, PhD, Editor, American Laboratory & Treasurer of CASSS.
What Do Our Clients Say?

13. vJust give me a call or send me an email and we can discuss the
needs of your scientific or medical society.
vThere will be no obligation, and I’m happy to share my
experiences working with dedicated board members, society
presidents, program chairs and committee members from a
variety of scientific and medical fields.
Ø Please email Joan Oefner at joefner@societymanagement.com
Ø Call my iPhone from the USA +1-617-870-3533
from Europe +49-171-1049181. Send SMS +49-171-1049181
Ø SKYPE: joefner FaceTime/WhatsApp: +49-171-1049181
Ø Visit my website: www.societymanagement.com
Contact Information