As we move through the early months of the year, I continue to be encouraged by the steady engagement and enthusiasm of our members. Since my last column in November, there has been meaningful activity across AIP, once again demonstrating the vitality of our organization and the shared commitment of those who work to advance the study and practice of parliamentary procedure.
AIP Learning Series Continues to Thrive
One of the most visible signs of that engagement has been the continued success of the AIP Learning Series. These programs provide members with timely opportunities to expand their knowledge and engage with leading voices in the profession.
Robert M. Peskin, DDS, CP-T President
In November, Susan Eads Role presented “Reconsider and Renewal: Let’s Try This Again,” drawing 65 participants for an insightful discussion of often-misunderstood motions. December’s program featured Craig Henry presenting “The Ethics of Being a Parliamentarian,” which attracted an impressive 97 participants and prompted thoughtful reflection on the professional responsibilities that accompany our work.
Following a brief pause in January, the series resumed in February with Mark Desrosiers’ engaging presentation, “Parliamentary Procedure by the Numbers,” which drew 132 participants our largest audience of the season. Earlier this month, Colette Collier Trohan presented a virtual workshop entitled “Rethinking Revisions.”
Together, these sessions clearly demonstrate the strong appetite within our membership for high-quality professional development. Dates, times, subjects, and presenters for upcoming programs as well as other educational opportunities can be found on the
events page.
2026 Winter Practicum
In January, we gathered at the Embassy Suites in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the 2026 Winter Practicum. With 64 participants attending this in-person event, the practicum focused on “Bring Back Motions and Specific Purpose Main Motions” under both AIPSC and RONR. The program provided a valuable opportunity for intensive learning, collaboration, and professional growth.
Special thanks go to General Coordinator Kay Crews and Educational Director Al Gage, along with their outstanding team of presenters led by Lucy Hicks Anderson and Nush Powell for delivering an exceptional weekend of parliamentary education.
Given the longstanding success of holding the Winter Practicum in Las Vegas, the Board of Directors is pleased to announce that the program will return to the Embassy Suites January 14–16, 2027.
Events like the Winter Practicum remind us that AIP’s greatest strength lies not only in the knowledge we share, but also in the professional community we continue to build together.
Presiding Practicum Underway
The 2026 Presiding Practicums, running from mid-March through the end of April, are also off to a promising start, with many participants already registered. These virtual offerings are designed to provide valuable opportunities for presiders at every stage of experience from novice to seasoned leader.
An excellent cadre of presenters will share their leadership expertise across multiple skill levels, with instruction focused on the parliamentary authority of the participant’s choice (AIPSC or RONR). Additional details about the program are available on the AIP website.
Organizational Leadership and Planning
Behind the scenes, the work of the organization continues through regular leadership meetings and planning sessions. The AIP leadership team meets on a monthly basis to ensure that our programs, educational offerings,
and strategic initiatives remain aligned with the needs of our members.
Planning for upcoming Annual Sessions is also well underway. Preparations for the 2026 Annual Session, to be held July 30 – August 1 at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Old Town, are progressing steadily. General Coordinator C.J. Cavin is developing what promises to be an outstanding program in San Diego. Please watch for additional details as we approach this important annual gathering.
Looking Ahead
As we continue through the year, I remain deeply grateful for the many volunteers, faculty members, and leaders whose dedication makes these programs possible. Their time, expertise, and enthusiasm sustain the educational mission of AIP and strengthen the professional community we share.
I encourage each of you to stay involved whether by participating in our programs, volunteering your talents, or simply connecting with colleagues across the organization. Together, we continue to build an organization that supports excellence in parliamentary practice and fosters meaningful professional relationships.
Thank you for your continued commitment to AIP.
With warm regards,
Robert M. Peskin, DDS, CP-T
President
Educational Deadlines
Certified Parliamentarian Exam
Application Deadline: April 17 2026
Exam Window: June 8-19 2026
2026 Virtual Spring Practicum June 12-14 2026
Offered Virtually Register by: June 9 2026
2026 Annual Session July 29-August 1 2026
Hybrid
Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Old Town Zoom (Virtual) Register by: June 28 2026
Certified Professional Parliamentarian Exam Application Deadline: June 5 2026
Exam Window: July 30-August 1 2026
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF PARLIAMENTARIANS
121 State Street
Albany, NY 12207
P (888) 664-0428 | F (847) 517-7229 aip@aipparl.org
Kay Allison Crews, CPP-T, PRP (General Coordinator)
Al Gage, CPP-T, PRP, PAP (Curriculum Director)
Communicator Editor
David Jackson, CP-T, PRP
Parliamentary Journal Editor
Marushag “Nush” Powell, PhD, CP
Calendar of Events Deadline Dates for The Communicator
Additional information regarding dates and registration are available on the AIP website at aipparl.org.
June 12-14
Spring Practicum Virtual
July 29-August 1 Annual Session San Diego, CA Hybrid
August 17, 2026 Summer 2026 Issue
November 30, 2026 Fall/Winter 2026 Issue
February 22, 2027 Spring 2027 Issue
2026 Hybrid Annual Session
July 29 – August 1, 2026
Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Old Town San Diego, CA (In Person) Zoom (Virtual)
Mark your calendars! The 2026 AIP Annual Session is heading to beautiful San Diego, California and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome you, whether you join us in person or virtually via Zoom.
This year’s Annual Session will once again be a hybrid event, so no matter where you are, you can be part of AIP’s premier gathering. Join colleagues from across the country for workshops, networking, accreditation opportunities, and more.
Schedule at a Glance
• Wednesday, July 29 (morning): Pre-Annual Session Board Meeting
• Wednesday, July 29 (afternoon) Saturday, August 1: Annual Session
• Sunday, August 2 (morning): Post-Annual Session Board Meeting
* First year’s AIP membership is included in the non-member registration fee.
Hotel Reservations
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Old Town at a special group rate of $209 per night. The last day to book at this rate is Sunday, June 28, 2026. Visit the AIP website or your registration confirmation for the direct booking link.
San Diego in the summer is hard to beat come for the parliamentary procedure, stay for the sunshine! We look forward to seeing you there.
Questions
For more information, contact the 2026 Annual Session Coordinators: C.J. Cavin, JD, CPP-T, PRP and Shawn Paine, JD, CP-T, PRP
annualsession@aipparl.org
Educational Musings – Updates from the Education Department
W. Craig Henry, Director-Education Department
Another Winter Practicum is in the books! 65 faculty and participants assembled January 15-17, 2026 at the Embassy Suites Hotel Las Vegas where Lucy Anderson, JD, CPP-T, PRP and Dr. Nush Powell, CP covered just about everything you needed (wanted?) to know about the “Bring Back” motions in RONR and their counterparts in AIPSC’s Specific-Purpose Main Motions.
Practicums are an experience unique to AIP, designed to be an experience for teachers, experts, and novice learners of parliamentary procedure to have a non-competitive, directed, practical curriculum where all parties can share their parliamentary knowledge and ask their questions, under the guidance of the event leaders and instructors.
Did you miss the Winter Practicum? Well, registration is already open for the Virtual Spring Practicum from June 1214, 2026. David Jackson CP-T and C.J. Cavin, CPP-T are coordinating the Spring Practicum and have lined up great instructors to teach on “AI and Parliamentary Procedure.” See the Information about the Virtual Spring Practicum elsewhere in this issue of the Communicator.
AIP Learning Center
The AIP Learning Center is up and running! As we wind down the old correspondence courses, we have enhanced them as Learning Pathways in the Learning Center: Meeting Management Skills; Participating in a Meeting; and Administrative Skills. We currently have 30 persons who have either signed up or transferred from their correspondence course to the equivalent Pathway. If you are still in your 2-year window for the correspondence course and want to convert you to the Learning Center, contact me and we will get you moved: education@aipparl.org.
Also, the Leaning Center contains the recordings and videos from the AIP Learning Series Workshops, the Certified Teacher Workshops, and will soon have the Virtual/Hybrid Practicums and Annual Session Workshops as well.
New self-study courses are under development and the Teachers’ Certification Course study materials are being modernized and converted to the AIP Learning Center as well. Stay tuned.
AIP Teachers’ Certification Course
And speaking about the Teachers’ Certification Course: Do you want to learn how to present Parliamentary Topics? Or do you want to improve your skills? AIP offers a Teachers’ Certification Course (also called the “T-COURSE”) that develops and reinforces teaching skills for certified (CP, CPP, or NAP PRP) members of AIP.
Note: The CP and CPP members are given attendance preference to our members holding a PRP.
The T-COURSE: increases your understanding of learning processes; develops and improves your teaching skills; prepares you to share your parliamentary knowledge; helps you to adapt your teaching methods to in-person, virtual, hybrid, and blended skills; and provides a non-judgmental, cohort teaching environment.
If this is of interest to you, watch for an announcement soon for the spring/summer 2026 T-COURSE. When the registration opens on or around April 1, 2026, do not wait; there must be at least seven persons enrolled by the cut-off date and there will be only a maximum of 15 slots available. Five persons have already expressed interest in the 2026 class. Don’t be left out!
Oops, I Did It Again: A Look Back at the 2026 Winter Practicum
The 2026 Winter Practicum of the American Institute of Parliamentarians wrapped up to rave reviews this January in Las Vegas, bringing together parliamentarians from across the country for a focused, in-depth exploration of “Bring Back Motions and Specific Purpose Main Motions” or, as this year’s theme cheekily dubbed it: “Oops, I Did It Again.” Held at the Embassy Suites, the event delivered exactly what attendees came for: rigorous parliamentary education, meaningful presiding practice, and the collegial camaraderie that makes the Practicum a can’t-miss event year after year.
Survey results confirm the event’s success: attendees liked the overall schedule, and attendees gave the event strong marks for value as well a testament to the careful planning and dedication of the organizing team.
A Deep Dive into “Do-Overs”: The Educational Program
This year’s Practicum was built around the theme of reconsidering, rescinding, and amending previous actions the parliamentary “do-overs” that every parliamentarian must master. The didactic program was extensive, covering a full spectrum of related motions under both Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) and the AIP Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (AIPSC). Sessions included Reconsider under RONR and AIPSC, Rescind under both authorities, Reconsider in Committees, Amend Something Previously Adopted, Amend Previous Action, the Motion to Ratify, Discharge and Recall from a Committee, and more.
A highlight for many was the opening “Skit of Reconsidering a Credentials Report.” The Bonus Session: Should/Shall/May was another crowd favorite, and the Group Activity “Which One Do I Use?” also stood out the highest-rated session of the entire Practicum as attendees applied their learning in a collaborative, hands-on format. As one respondent put it, the educational program offered “a fulsome coverage of all the related items to the concept of ‘redo.’” The compareand-contrast approach between RONR and AIPSC was consistently praised, with one attendee noting that “the division of having a lead RONR presenter and a lead AIPSC presenter really worked well.”
Presiding Practice: The Heart of the Practicum
For many attendees, presiding practice remains the primary reason they make the trip to Las Vegas each January and this year did not disappoint. The Presiding Practice Sessions earned an average Facilitator rating of 4.88 out of 5. Facilitators kept sessions flowing and groups to a manageable size, allowing for genuine, meaningful practice.
Attendees appreciated the real growth they witnessed in each other. “It was great to see the progress in the basics group,” wrote one participant. “They became more comfortable and at ease, and the light bulbs came on.” Several attendees called for even more presiding time in future years, with one noting, “I would love more presiding sessions.”
What Attendees Loved Most
Survey responses to “What did you like most about the Practicum?” painted a consistent picture: people come for the education, the presiding practice, and each other. “Collegiality” was among the first responses. Others cited the in-person format, the opportunity to network with fellow parliamentarians, and the unique ability to “do a deep dive in a particular area” of parliamentary procedure that simply isn’t possible in shorter formats.
One first-time attendee captured the sentiment beautifully: “This was my first time and I thought everything was great. It was valuable to me and worth my time. I learned a lot.” A seasoned participant offered perhaps the highest possible endorsement: “This was perhaps one of the best Practicums I have attended.” And one respondent was simply direct: the Practicum is “the best and only source of quality parliamentary education in North America. Period.”
Looking Ahead: Feedback and Suggestions
As always, attendees offered thoughtful suggestions for future improvement. Common themes included ensuring handouts and slides are synchronized before the event (some attendees noted discrepancies between posted
materials and those used in sessions), providing more accessible device-charging options in session rooms, and offering more structured social opportunities to help firsttimers and veterans connect more easily.
On the question of location, respondents strongly favored staying in Las Vegas, appreciating the city’s accessibility by air and road from across the country. The majority preferred remaining at the same facility, though a notable number expressed openness to a different hotel if cost or amenities could be improved.
Topic suggestions for future Practicums were enthusiastic and creative, with attendees proposing explorations of Demeter as a comparative authority, strategic parliamentary procedure, and even a look at parliamentary procedure in popular culture.
The 2026 Winter Practicum was, by every measure, a resounding success. Thank you to our presenters, facilitators, and every attendee who brought their energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to Las Vegas this January. We look forward to seeing you all again and welcoming new faces at the 2027 Winter Practicum.
AIP Spring Practicum 2026
June 12 – 14, 2026
Offered Virtually
Ready to sharpen your parliamentary skills this summer? The 2026 AIP Spring Virtual Practicum is your chance to build on your knowledge and explore advanced concepts in par liamentary procedure and artificial intelligence through an immersive, interactive online learning experience.
This year’s Spring Practicum kicks off on Friday, June 12, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern and continues through Sunday, June 14. Each session will be followed by the always-popular presiding lab sessions—giving you the opportunity to put what you’ve learned into practice with real-time feedback from experienced facilitators.
Whether you’re a seasoned parliamentarian looking to stay current or someone newer to the profession who wants to deepen your understanding, the Spring Practicum offers someth ing for everyone. The virtual format means you can participate from the comfort of your home no travel required.
Can’t Attend Live?
No worries! Recordings and handouts will be available for all registered participants, so you won’t miss a thing even if your schedule doesn’t allow you to attend every session live.
Registration
Registration details and pricing will be available soon at aipparl.org. Keep an eye on your inbox and the AIP website for updates.
I hope you’ll join us this June for what promises to be an engaging and enriching experience. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!
