Ava Spece joined CMAA in 2020 and serves as the Director of Development for The Club Foundation. She has more than 20 years experience leading both not-for-profit and for-profit companies, primarily in visual and performing arts. As a philanthropic leader of organizations in Texas, Virginia, and DC, she has substantially increased the revenue of each organization she has championed.

At CMAA, she is responsible for overseeing The Club Foundation's critical scholarship program, which provides professional development grants to clubs, chapters, club staff, and students. She takes the lead on securing the funding needed to fulfill the foundation’s mission.

She has served on multiple advocacy boards including DC Advocates for the Arts and Virginians for the Arts. She has presented in various university, adult education, and community settings and presented to the National Endowment for the Arts, in addition to the Texas and Virginia state legislatures and DC Council. She had the privilege of bringing youth musicians to perform for Bush and Obama administrations at the White House and has been interviewed for numerous press outlets including NPR and the Washington Post.

She has continued her education in nonprofit administration as a participant in the Standards of Excellence program and DeVos Institute. Ava holds a bachelors degree in music education, enjoys spending her free time painting and walking, and lives with her husband in Northern Virginia.