Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives

What Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives does

CESSE (Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives) is a private nonprofit professional membership association headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois, serving hundreds of CEOs and staff of scientific and engineering societies across North America. Its core offerings center on a trusted peer network, delivered through the flagship ACCESSE annual conference (held in 2026 at the Raleigh Convention Center), CEO-exclusive meetings, virtual training courses (Association Basics, Project & Volunteer Management), recurring webinars, and function-specific Shared Interest Groups (Publications, Membership and Marketing, Content, Meetings and Exhibits, Education and Training, and Finance/HR/Administration). The organization awards CAE and CMP continuing education credits and operates on third-party infrastructure including MemberClicks for membership management, Higher Logic for its CESSE Communities platform, and Zoom for virtual training.

CESSE monetizes through four primary streams: annual membership dues from society executives and staff, tiered conference registration ($745-$895 for ACCESSE), paid training courses, and year-round partnership/sponsorship agreements with vendors serving the association market. Its 2025 Year-Round Partner ecosystem spans AI (Betty/Blue Cypress), legal services (Venable LLP), association management consulting (AMC Consulting), audio-visual (Projection), web platforms (Results Direct), and destination marketing (Destination Canada), with an additional strategic partnership offering CESSE members discounted access to the Sidecar AI Learning Hub and AAiP certification. The go-to-market motion is community-led, with growth driven by event attendance, word-of-mouth within the STEM society ecosystem, and digital engagement through the website, blog, email newsletter, and social channels. CESSE is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with no disclosed parent organization, no funding rounds, and no public revenue disclosure.

Name

Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives

Legal name

Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives

Website

https://cesse.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CESSE is a nonprofit professional membership association serving hundreds of CEOs and staff of scientific and engineering societies, providing networking, training, and an annual conference (ACCESSE) plus AI-education partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for STEM Societies

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAALAF

Engineering & Technical Professions (PE, Engineering CPD)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

Keywords

• Professional association management
• STEM society leadership
• Continuing education credits
• Membership association services
• Nonprofit association networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: CESSE generates revenue through annual membership fees from CEOs and staff of scientific and engineering societies. Membership provides access to SIGs, webinars, resources, and event discounts.
2. Conference Registration: The ACCESSE annual conference is a major revenue stream with tiered pricing based on membership status and early registration deadlines. Additional revenue comes from pre-conference meeting registrations.
3. Training Courses: Association Basics course and Project & Volunteer Management course generate revenue through registration fees. Courses award CAE credits and qualify as CMP Preferred Provider content.
4. Conference Partnerships: Organizations become ACCESSE partners through sponsorship agreements, gaining access to STEM society decision-makers through various partnership tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CESSE is a private nonprofit professional membership association that provides networking, education, and best-practice exchange services exclusively for CEOs and staff of scientific and engineering societies. Its core deliverables include the ACCESSE annual conference, the Association Basics virtual training course, the CEO Meeting, the Finance & HR Pre-Conference Meeting, the Project & Volunteer Management course, monthly webinars, and function-based Shared Interest Groups. Membership in CESSE provides access to these programs, CAE/CMP continuing education credits, and a Higher Logic-powered online community platform.

Product overview

CESSE offers a portfolio of professional development and networking services for STEM society executives and association management staff. The core offerings include ACCESSE (the flagship annual conference), various training courses (Association Basics, Project & Volunteer Management), CEO-exclusive meetings, and recurring webinars. These are supplemented by Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) hosted on the CESSE Communities platform for peer-to-peer knowledge exchange. Additionally, CESSE provides access to the Sidecar AI Learning Hub as a partner offering for AI education. The organization functions as a professional association rather than a software product company, focusing on trusted peer networks, shared learning, and actionable insights for STEM society management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACCESSE: The flagship annual conference for STEM society professionals combining leadership development, peer-to-peer connections, and content expertise.
• IGNITE!

Products and services

• ACCESSE Annual Conference

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered event partner, year-round partner, core partner and content partner.

• Betty:AI (Thomas Altman and Rob Barnes)event partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2026Betty:AI co-founders Thomas Altman and Rob Barnes present CESSE webinars on AI applications for standards development organizations, demonstrating governed AI use cases for standards lifecycle management.
• Destination Canadayear-round partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Destination Canada serves as a 2025 Year-Round Partner, promoting Canadian destinations for meetings and events to CESSE members. They offer resources for planning events in Canada with expertise in sustainable and culturally authentic event experiences.
• AMC Consultingyear-round partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025AMC Consulting is listed as a 2025 Year-Round Partner, providing association management consulting services to CESSE members.
• Betty (Blue Cypress)year-round partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Betty:AI, an AI Knowledge System for Associations, serves as a 2025 Year-Round Partner. They offer AI-powered solutions for associations and provide webinars on AI applications for standards development organizations.
• Blue Cypressyear-round partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Blue Cypress is an AI ecosystem for associations offering products, services, and education. They serve 1,500+ associations and have launched multiple AI startups. Their Sidecar platform provides AI learning resources to CESSE members.
• Projectionyear-round partnerGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Projection serves as a 2025 Year-Round Partner, providing audio-visual services for events and conferences.
• Results Directyear-round partnerTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Results Direct is listed as a 2025 Year-Round Partner, providing web platform solutions for associations.
• Venable LLPyear-round partnerImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Venable LLP serves as a 2025 Year-Round Partner, providing legal services and thought leadership on association governance, crisis management, and legal considerations for CESSE members.
• Sidecar (Blue Cypress)core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerSidecar AI Learning Hub partnership provides CESSE members with discounted access to AI education courses including Foundation, Professional, and Executive Plans, plus Association AI Professional (AAiP) certification. The partnership brings continuous AI learning with regularly updated content.
• Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)content partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerAMPP generously provides content for CESSE's Association Basics course, contributing training materials for professionals entering the scientific and engineering association field.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CESSEorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CESSEorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cesse---council-of-engineering-and-scientific-society-executives
• Instagraminstagram.com/cesseorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Council of Engineering and Scientific Society Executives