As I reflect on 2025, I am struck by a profound sense of optimism. While 2024 was a year of transition and honoring the foundations built before I became CEO, 2025 was the year we began to accelerate.
The state of our Society is strong, and because of the collective work of our members, leaders, and staff, we have real reasons to be confident in the future of our specialty.
In 2025, our membership reached an all-time high of 60,771, which includes 32,644 Active members, also an all-time high for ASA. Our growth is also being fueled by our in-training and early career categories. Seeing such robust engagement from the next generation of anesthesiologists is the best possible indicator for the long-term health of ASA.
As we look toward 2026, we expect continued, modest growth in our core Active category, which remains the primary driver of our membership revenue. However, we are not content to simply grow our numbers; we are committed to ensuring that every member—at every career stage—finds undeniable value in their relationship with ASA.
Over the last two years, "Revenue and Relevance" has become our mantra. In 2025, we turned that mantra into a roadmap. To ensure ASA remains essential in a rapidly evolving health care landscape, we are embracing a product management approach—a model common in the for-profit sector—to drive innovation, efficiency, and non-dues revenue.
This shift allows us to:
Innovate Faster: Identify market opportunities and member needs with greater speed.
Manage Nimbly: Develop and oversee products throughout their entire lifecycle, ensuring they remain high-quality and relevant to our members and other customers.
Allocate Smarter: Use objective criteria to focus our resources on what works and sunset programs that no longer serve our mission.
Following successful pilots, we are expanding this model across our flagship offerings, including ACE, SEE, PeRLS, Anesthesia Toolbox, Diagnostic POCUS, RVG/Crosswalk, and in our exciting efforts to rebuild NACOR. For you, this means more relevant educational products and tools, more consistent experiences, and solutions that directly support your clinical and professional success.
I'm gratified to say that in 2025, our work paid off. We surpassed our budget targets in both non-dues revenue and overall revenue, and we also beat our margin target, delivering a positive margin for the eighth out of the last nine years.
I must take a moment to recognize our 2025 President, Donald E. Arnold, MD, FACHE, FASA, whose thoughtful leadership and steady presence has long had a profound impact on our community. Dr. Arnold leads with a rare combination of clarity, humility, and grace. His quiet strength inspired confidence across the organization, and I am personally grateful for his partnership and the example he set every day.
ASA’s future is bright because we are meeting our challenges with strategy, structure, and a relentless focus on value. As we move into 2026, we remain dedicated to our core mission: To advance the practice and secure the future of the specialty. I am grateful for the privilege to serve as ASA's CEO and work with our members, Executive Committee, Administrative Council, Board of Directors, House of Delegates, and our wonderful and dedicated staff.
Date of last update: February 11, 2026