Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (RONR) is the most widely used parliamentary authority in the world today. More details about Robert’s Rules can be found here.

This page serves as an explanation page for the nomenclature used throughout this web site to indicate RONR citations.

Where “RONR” is seen, this refers to the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (currently the 10th Edition). Where a parenthetical comment is seen, this is a page/line citation.

Citations are listed by page number(s) first, then line number(s); all pages have numbered lines. For example, RONR (p. 351, l. 9-12) would refer to the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, page 351, lines 9-12.

The following book titles are ones that I am personally familiar with and have found to be informative and helpful. I’ve listed them here, in random order, in case you need suggestions on some of the better books to add to your library. If you know of other titles that I should list, please let me know and I’ll see about adding them. Note that these are listed in random order, not in order of the best reference or the best book to buy. Some of these are also available in electronic editions for the Kindle reader.

Why is a certification important?

Credentials are important in professional services because they provide you — the client — with a sense of how educated a person is in a specific area of knowledge. I maintain membership in several parliamentary organizations, and have a credentialed certification in parliamentary procedure, so that you can have confidence in my abilities and in the services I can offer your organization.

I am a member of both the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) and a past member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP). These two organizations form the backbone of parliamentary knowledge world-wide. Each organization has a slightly different focus, yet between the two of them, there is much to share and learn. NAP focuses exclusively on Robert’s Rules of Order, the most commonly used parliamentary authority in the world today, and its members are experts within that realm. AIP generalizes on several parliamentary authorities, giving its members a wide range of parliamentary knowledge for a variety of organizational needs.

Within NAP, I am a Registered Parliamentarian (RP) and credentialed as such. Within AIP, I was a regular member. I am also a member and past board member of the California State Association of Parliamentarians (CSAP), and a past Southern Area Director for CSAP. I also participate with local parliamentarian units near me, and two online parliamentarian units.

Background

I have been involved with parliamentary procedure for over 30 years in a number of areas.

I have been an active member of many non-profit and community organizations, giving advice and training on parliamentary topics. I have also served on two Board of Directors in director and officer capacities, and have spent considerable time helping organizations improve their meetings through better use of parliamentary practices. I have served as a parliamentarian for several units, Councils, and Districts with the California State PTA for many years, and am a member of the Board of Managers for the California State PTA where I serve on the Bylaws Committee.

My involvement with parliamentary procedure started back in the late 1970’s, when I joined debate in high school. Although I was primarily interested in the debate team, I was also involved with DeMolay, a fraternal youth organization that is an offshoot of the Shrine organization. In DeMolay, all meetings are held in compliance with Robert’s Rules of Order, which I found interesting and exciting. I participated as a member of a parliamentary procedure team (a “Parli Pro team”), where team members are challenged with a variety of parliamentary scenarios, and scored on how well they know Robert’s Rules and how properly applied that knowledge is. It began a long association with parliamentary procedure that continues to this day.

References

Some of the groups and organizations I have helped in the past:

• DEC Users Society (DECUS)
• Oracle Development Tools Users Group (ODTUG)
• San Diego Mountain Rescue Team (SDMRT)
• Penasquitos Lutheran Church (PLC)
• International Oracle Users Group (IOUG)
• Axapta Users Group (AXUG)
• Your Conference Connection
• California State PTA (unit, Council, and District level)
• Haas Avocado Board of Managers
• San Ysidro Health

I am interested in helping other organizations through instruction, advice and training, and can offer a wide variety of services that may be of interest to you. I look forward to understanding your organization’s specific parliamentary needs.

Certifications

My membership and credentials can be verified through these links:

• In the NAP organization, I can be found here.
• In the AIP organization, I am a past member.
• Within CSAP, you can find more information about me here.

In addition to our list of services that we can provide for you or your organization, we have a number of other informative resources for you to use:

1. Parliamentary Key Concepts

   Perhaps you aren’t completely clear on what parliamentary procedure is, or how it can benefit your organization. Or maybe you have a basic understanding of Robert’s Rules of Order, but you don’t know how all the pieces fit together. In that case, start with this section. The key concepts of parliamentary process are explained and tied together so that you can see how each part supplements the others and builds a cohesive whole.

2. My “Thought Blog“

   Random musings on parliamentary topics. There is an open ended blog format, with no set agenda here and no timetable for postings. As intriguing topics come to my attention that seem worthy of discussion, thought or opinion, I will share my thoughts with the world. I would definitely welcome comment and ideas of your own as well. Sometimes the topics might not even by related to parliamentary concepts.

3. Repository of my parliamentary opinions

   Formal opinions I’ve written that were provided for public benefit. No personally identifiable information is used to protect privacy, but if I find something worthy of discussion and comment, I will include it here.

4. Brainteasers

   Think of these as puzzles for the parliamentary procedure crowd. The goal here is to present something that’s not obvious on the surface, or which has a tricky answer, and challenge my peers to solve it. I will also give my own opinion and answer.

5. Selected Readings

   I am not the only Parliamentarian who blogs or maintains a web site full of opinions. There are many other excellent resources on the web, published by experts and leaders in the field. This list is an attempt to point out some real jewels that you might find helpful and/or interesting.

6. Online Bookstore

   My suggestions on which books and resources you simply must have in order to best understand parliamentary procedure and parliamentary authority. Browse through the selections and read my interpretation of why you need each resource.

7. Links to other parliamentary sources

   Web sites and other online resources for those who want to learn more from others in the parliamentary community. These are all off-site links for your own edification.

The American Institute of Parliamentarians (AIP) is a not-for-profit educational organization started in 1958 to advance parliamentary procedure. AIP currently has about 1,200 members in the USA, Canada and internationally.

AIP is unique in that it stresses familiarity with several parliamentary authorities, rather than relying exclusively on Robert’s Rules of Order (as the National Association of Parliamentarians does, for example). This diversity enables AIP members to leverage the history and theory of parliamentary practice, giving organizations options in their use of parliamentary procedures. Members of AIP were involved in revising and editing the latest copy of The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, for example.

The objectives of AIP are:

• promote use of effective democratic, parliamentary practices;
• promote preparation and use of parliamentary literature;
• promote teach of parliamentary procedure;
• promote the training and certification of Parliamentarians;
• promote wider use of Parliamentarians;
• maintain a representative, democratic organization

AIP currently maintains four levels of membership:

1. Member – anyone interested in parliamentary procedure who pays their dues. No examination required.
2. Certified Parliamentarian (CP) – requires a written examination plus continuing service credits. There are approximately 60 CP’s in the world today. This level is similar to the NAP Regular Member (RM) level with the exception of requiring continuing service credits to achieve this title.
3. Certified Professional Parliamentarians (CPP) – a CP with the addition an secondary oral examination covering several other parliamentary authorities, plus additional continuing service credits. There are approximately 50 CPP’s in the world today. This level is similar to the NAP Registered Parliamentarian (RP) certification.
4. Designated Teacher of Parliamentary Procedure (CP-T/CPP-T) – Adjunct certification to either the CP or CPP level, showing evidence of monitored teaching experience in parliamentary procedure. This level is similar to the NAP Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) certification.

The National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) is the oldest and largest non-profit association of Parliamentarians in the world, with more chapters and service units than any other parliamentary organization. NAP was organized in 1930 and today has about 4,000 members in the USA, Canada and other countries.

The goals of NAP are to:

• encourage its members and the general public to learn the principles and practice of democratic decision-making;
• help teachers instruct people of all ages in parliamentary procedure at all levels;
• promote collaboration and professional development among Parliamentarians;
• provide widely recognized, authoritative accreditation of Parliamentarians serving the general public

In contrast to the American Institute of Parliamentarians, NAP focuses almost exclusively on Robert’s Rules of Order, rather than on a variety of parliamentary authorities. This focus allows them to become experts on Robert’s Rules of Order. Many Parliamentarians are members of both the NAP and AIP organizations.

NAP’s organizational structure provides for four levels of membership:

1. Provisional member – open to anyone interested in parliamentary procedure who pays their dues.
2. Regular member (RM) – candidates must pass a written examination, prior to becoming a member, from a pool of 300 questions. This level is similar to the AIP Certified Parliamentarian (CP) certification, but does not require continuing service credits.
3. Registered Parliamentarian (RP) – regular members who pass an secondary written examination from a pool of 1,500 questions, including open-ended research questions. This level is similar to the AIP Certified Professional Parliamentarian (CPP) in terms of knowledge and diligence required for certification.
4. Professional Registered Parliamentarian (PRP) – an RP who teaches parliamentary procedure or acts in a professional capacity, and is required to complete continuing education credits, plus an oral examination, to remain certified. This level is similar to the AIP Certified Professional Parliamentarian-Teacher (CPP-T) certification.

The NAP California division provides direct support and training for members located in California. Their web site is the California State Association of Parliamentarians (CSAP).

The NAP California division is further broken down into localized area units, such as the CSAP group for the San Diego “Sigma Delta” unit.