Team Talk Tuesday with Hernan Guerra, Texas A&M University
If your association’s membership roster is starting to look a little gray around the edges, you’re not alone. One of the most common challenges we hear from association leaders is the same one that’s quietly reshaping every industry: how do we engage the next generation of professionals — and keep them engaged?
That’s exactly what we tackled on this week’s episode of Team Talk Tuesday. We sat down with Hernan Guerra, Industry Relations Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Construction Science at Texas A&M University, to talk about what really works when it comes to building bridges between campus and career.
Hernan has spent years connecting students with the industry leaders, mentors, and professional associations that will shape their careers. If anyone understands the moment when a college student turns into an engaged industry professional, it’s him.
Here are a few of the biggest takeaways from our conversation.
1. Students aren’t disengaged — they’re under-invited
It’s tempting to assume the next generation just isn’t interested in joining associations the way previous generations were. Hernan pushed back on that narrative. Students are hungry for community, mentorship, and industry exposure. What they often lack is a clear, personal invitation to participate.
The associations that win students over aren’t the ones with the flashiest social media — they’re the ones who show up on campus, build real relationships with faculty, and make it easy for students to take that first step.
2. Faculty are your most underused recruiting partner
One of the most practical insights from the episode: if you want students to engage with your association, start with the people who see them every day. Professors, internship coordinators, and industry liaisons (like Hernan) are trusted voices. When they recommend an association, students listen.
Building those campus relationships takes time, but it pays off for years. A single professor who consistently points students toward your association can deliver more long-term members than a dozen sponsored events.
3. Make the value real and immediate
Students are busy, broke, and bombarded with options. Telling them an association will be valuable “for their career” isn’t enough. They need to see the value now: a scholarship, a mentor, a site visit, a conference experience, a foot in the door at a company they admire.
Hernan shared how Texas A&M’s Construction Industry Advisory Council has used real, tangible support — including matching scholarship opportunities — to create a pipeline of engaged students who carry that loyalty into their professional lives. Associations that mirror this approach tend to see students transition naturally from student member to active professional member.
4. Mentorship is the bridge
The hand-off from college to career is fragile. Even motivated students can drift away from professional engagement during the chaos of a first job. The single biggest predictor of whether they stay engaged? A mentor who keeps them connected.
Associations that intentionally pair students and early-career members with seasoned professionals don’t just retain young members — they accelerate their leadership development and create the next generation of board members, committee chairs, and industry advocates.
5. Treat the next generation as partners, not prospects
Maybe the most important shift Hernan encouraged: stop thinking about young professionals as a recruitment problem to be solved. Start thinking about them as partners who are already shaping the industry’s future. Give them a seat at the table, ask for their input, and let them lead — even before they have all the credentials traditional leadership pipelines expect.
The associations that thrive over the next decade will be the ones that learn to share the wheel.
Listen to the full episode
There’s so much more in our conversation with Hernan — including specific stories from his work at Texas A&M and practical ideas you can take back to your own association. Watch the full episode on the Association Edge YouTube channel.
If you’re rethinking how your organization recruits, engages, or develops the next generation of members, we’d love to help. Reach out to the Kelly Dando Consulting team — building stronger associations is what we do.
About Team Talk Tuesday: Every Tuesday, the Kelly Dando Consulting team brings you candid conversations with association leaders, industry experts, and the people shaping the future of professional communities.
