In 2001, the shoe and fashion industry gave Kevin Burke a mandate: dismantle their trade association and give it a makeover. With scant knowledge of the fashion industry and no prior CEO experience, Burke quickly earned his stripes. In the next year and a half, he would centralize the association, adjust its name, consolidate its far-flung committees and agendas and replenish its nearly bankrupt business accounts. He closed a satellite office in Manhattan and combined staff in the Arlington, Va. headquarters. Burke recalls his decision to lay off nearly a third of his staff in a single day. Five years later, Burke is still at the helm. He recently agreed to an… Read More