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The second 5th Tuesday Town Hall, hosted by the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP), featured leaders from across the association to discuss the membership structure and highly anticipated changes to the credentialing process.

The Town Halls are sponsored by NAP’s Association Relations Committee using Adobe Connect.

Presenters included Thomas “Burke” Balch, PRP, Chairman of the Commission on Credentialing; Dr. Ramona M. Hill, PRP, Education Cluster Leader; Mike Peck, PRP, Chairman of the Professional Development Committee; and Carol Johnson Davis, PRP, Chairman of the Membership and Registration Examiners Committee.

“One of the most frequent questions I get is about changes to the credentialing process. I’m looking forward to the Credentialing Commission to officially publish their recommendations for the membership to read and digest.  Change is often hard; but, I appreciate their hard work in making our association’s credentials even more desirable for parliamentarians and the organizations we serve,” said President Jim Jones.

Dr. Ramona Marsalis-Hill introduced the Education Cluster and outlined their initiatives to implement the Education Section of the NAP Strategic Plan. Their activities will standardize education materials, develop curriculum, and install a cadre of instructors across the country so that members, no matter their level of proficiency, can enjoy effective parliamentary education through many media modes – on-demand, facilitated workshops/seminars, on-line classroom courses and more! Dr. Hill summed up their mission as, “Your Education, Your Way!”

Professional Development Committee Chair, Michael Peck, explained that the committee is focused on developing and administering Professional Development Certification Modules along with developing a team of mentors who will be available to members who seek to obtain or renew their credentials. Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) renewal modules will be offered monthly and credentialed members will be contacted with notice for renewal.

The Membership and Registered Examiners Committee was introduced by Chair Carol Johnson Davis, who explained that their mission was to prepare, administer and assess all membership and Registered Parliamentarian (RP) exams. Members, she advised, will be hearing from them soon regarding new study guides and exam options.

Thomas “Burke” Balch, Chair of the Commission on Credentialing, presented the differentiation of the knowledge and skill that needs to be demonstrated to earn the RP and PRP certification, and then outlined the three steps in the new Assessment Process. The new process, as Mr. Balch explained, will increase the opportunity for success because it will have more discreet modules whose knowledge areas build on each other. The process will provide feedback for performance improvement after each assessment. This will make the RP credential more meaningful as it will demonstrate real world application of parliamentary knowledge. He addressed current RP and PRP members’ concerns explaining that their credentials are “grandfathered” and the process for retaining their certification remains the same. There will be a two-year “grace period” for those currently in the process of completing their RP and then attaining the PRP under the current process. After that, all new certifications will be through the new process. The Commission’s goal is to provide support so that no one misses the opportunity to earn their credential as the association transitions to the new process. For more information, download the Criteria for Credentialing (2nd preliminary edition) from the Document section of the NAP website.

“The 5^th Tuesday Town Halls allow members to interface directly with the NAP officers and committee chairs” said Lucy Anderson, Town Hall Moderator and Chair, Association Relations Committee.  “In fact, the events are proving to be very popular with attendees who are not only posing questions to the speakers, but also using the interactive tool to ‘chat’ with each other and exchange information.  An unexpected and welcome result is that the real-time exchange of NAP plans and activity is building stronger bonds throughout the Association,” says Ms. Anderson

The NAP Board of Directors thanks all who participated and invite all members to participate in the next 5th Tuesday Town Hall, on July 31, 2018, at 7 p.m. (CT). This town hall will feature presentations from the At-Large Directors.

Replay the May 29 5th Tuesday Town Hall

Kansas City, MO, January 31, 2018 –More than 130 members and local leaders of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) gathered online for the association’s first-ever Fifth-Tuesday Town Hall on January 30.

President Jim Jones addresses a member’s question during NAP’s first virtual town hall.

Sponsored by the new Association Relations Committee and using Adobe Connect, the online session offered a direct and informal way for members to ask questions of NAP’s officers, who responded with an accounting of how the organization is progressing and an overview of the priorities for the upcoming months. Members were invited to submit questions prior to and during the town hall to be addressed by NAP President James “Jim” Jones, Vice President Darlene Allen, Secretary Kevin Connelly, and Treasurer Wanda Sims. Moderator Lucy Anderson – Chair of the Association Relations Committee – facilitated the officers’ responses. Turnout for the event was excellent and it was clear that a lot of thought went into the members’ questions.

“These town halls are just one of many initiatives being rolled out to keep members informed and to make the relationship between NAP and its members closer,” explained President Jones.

An additional benefit of the Town Hall was the use of Adobe’s online polling feature, which allowed members to voice their strong preference for online learning, support for the upcoming building fund campaign, and potential sites for an international educational experience. These responses provided NAP’s leadership insight for setting priorities and planning future activities.

NAP Treasurer Wanda Sims reviews the association’s financial position.

Click on the following links for a recap of the questions and answers from the event and a replay of the Town Hall:

The NAP Board of Directors thank all who participated and made this first virtual Town Hall a success. Watch NAP’s Membership Update for announcements of similar face-to-face or online interactions in the future.

Please plan to attend the next Fifth-Tuesday Town Hall on May 29, at 7:30 p.m. (CT), as well as future town halls scheduled for July 31, October 30.