Our Amazing Team

Wade Koehler, CAE

Forte President

(Kind of a Big Deal)

Wade Koehler, CAE

President and founder of Forte AMC, Wade brings over 24 years of management experience to the firm. He has served in various types of management positions since the beginning of his career. Before starting Forte, he was responsible for conference operations at three different universities. He was successful at not only increasing revenue but also increasing employee satisfaction in each position.

He understands the issues that face professional organizations.

Budget constraints of not-for-profit organizations
Frequent change in leadership positions and the challenges it provides
Challenges involved with working with volunteer based associations
Keeping up with rapidly changing technology

Wade brings to the table a knack for grasping the big picture, setting mutually agreed upon goals and accomplishing them. He believes in the power of personal relationship based selling. Wade has successfully led two associations and two university departments through major changes in operations and sales and has surrounded himself with some of the best association management personnel ensuring that his clients have access to a one-stop operation to help achieve their visions.

Jeanne Koehler, Ph.D

Forte Vice President

(The Real Boss)

Jeanne Koehler, PhD

Vice president and co-founder of Forte Association Management, Jeanne has focused on adult learning and performance improvement crossing multiple industries (education, insurance, financial services, and healthcare). Learning through experience and collaborative problem solving is central to fostering individual, organizational, and societal growth. People are drawn to associations because they provide social connections, skill building opportunities, learning experiences, professional credibility, and peer support and recognition. Jeanne, using mixed methods research design, helps organizations explore ways to promote meaningful, impactful learning that connects to members, professions, and current challenges. In addition, Jeanne has 20 years of experience developing, delivering, and assessing curriculum. Working closely with organizations, she has developed online classroom experiences and simulation-based learning that align with the goals and objectives of the organization. She has designed learning for small and large audiences as well as for learners gathered in one location to learners scattered across the globe. With a PhD in curriculum and instruction, Jeanne can bring her research and organizational change expertise within your association to help evaluate current offerings, explore member perceptions and learning needs, develop a learning action plan to enhance members experience, and increase the association’s overall value.

Penny Price

Membership Expert & Resident Faith in Humanity

Penny joined Forte in 2013 as the Director of Member Services for our client, FCSI The Americas. She is responsible for FCSI’s Membership Application Process, Event Planning and Financials. Penny’s past employment includes serving as an Office Manager for a local childcare facility, On-air DJ for WBNQ in Bloomington, IL and Personal Assistant to film writer, producer and direct John Hughes.

Kristen Ball, CMP

Executive Administrator & Event Planning Extraordinaire

Kristen joined Forte in 2019 as the Executive Administrator for the Illinois Council of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. She is responsible for all aspects of this fun group of professionals including Event Planning, Financials and day to day operations. Kristen’s past employment includes over 20 years of experience in meeting planning and association management. She earned her CMP (Certified Meeting Planner) certification in 2010. She is a University of Illinois graduate and strong supporter of her alma mater.

Amy Stark

Administration Guru & Student of Life

Amy joined Forte in 2020 as the Director of Administration for our client, FCSI The Americas and Forte AMC. She has over 20 years of association management experience. Amy is responsible for certification processes, copywriting, social media, event mobile apps and event planning.
Amy enjoys being outdoors, riding horses and boating on Lake Monroe in Bloomington, IN.

Holly Hickey

Executive Administrator & North Sider

Holly joined Forte in 2014 as the Administrator for our client, the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois. She has over 20 years’ experience working in a variety of membership, events, and marketing roles for nonprofit organizations, including the Louisville Bar Association and the American Bar Association, as well as several food industry professional associations.

Marnie Barber

Resident Accountant i.e. the money lady

Marnie joined Forte in 2017 as the official bookkeeper for Forte AMC and for clients FCSI The Americas, CLII and ICCVB.

She is responsible for accounts payable, accounts receivable,

banking, financial and accounting prep for all clients companies. She has over 30 years experience in finance & accounting with over 25 years experience in QuickBooks.