1988 - Present

In 1988, concerted efforts were made to strengthen relationships between the regions, the chapters, the sections and the Association. As part of this effort, a Chapter Development and Relations Committee was established to not only address the organization of new chapters, but also to address how to improve communications and assist in strengthening chapter programs.

Both IPMA News and Public Personnel Management were redesigned to give the publications a more sophisticated, polished look, while increasing their readability. The Association's International Training Conference on Public Personnel Administration was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Fifteenth International Symposium was held in London, England.

The 1989 acquisition of desktop publishing equipment enabled the Association to increase the effectiveness of its membership communications. Through the publications program, the Association targets critical issues and provides in depth analysis of timely topics in the field of human resource management.

In order to review the Association's Code of Ethics and the professional development program, an Ethics Committee and a Human Resource Professional Development Committee were established. The Sixteenth International Symposium was held in Rome, Italy.

During 1990, the Executive Council voted to revise the mission statement of the Association to better reflect the objectives of its members, and the goals of the public sector human resource management profession. In addition, the publications program continued to disseminate information on a wide variety of topics including two volumes in the Public Employee Relations Library Series, a monograph entitled "Drug Testing: An Update", and the fourth edition in IPMA's Readings Collection.

IPMA's Assessment Services division undertook two new test development projects during 1990; one involving an entry-level correctional officer examination and the other involving entry-level police officer examinations. The police officer examination is unique in that it will contain an optional biographical information component.

During the year, the Association conducted an active government affairs program. On behalf of the membership, the Association submitted comments on the Civil Rights Act of 1990, and endorsed federal pay reform legislation. The Association also continued to oppose the narrowing of the administrative exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Seventeenth International Symposium was held in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Major governmental affairs activities of the Association during 1991 included submitting comments on the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the regulations implementing the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the regulations concerning Fair Labor Standards Act exemptions. The Association also participated in coalitions opposing the extension of Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code, and supporting modifying Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code.

Major test development continued with the development of three new examinations and the development of a biodata instrument to be used in conjunction with entry level police officer examinations. A major accomplishment was the paying off of the mortgage on the headquarters building. This was accomplished only six years from the time the Association relocated.

Also in 1991 a review of "The State of IPMA" and "Managing IPMA Training Conferences" was undertaken. Discussion papers were developed which were major agenda items for the Spring 1992 Executive Council meeting.

Because of the Persian Gulf War the 1991 International Symposium was canceled.

In 1992, the Executive Council reviewed five discussion papers including "The State of IPMA," "Managing IPMA Training Conferences," "IPMA Publications," "Chapters, Regions, Section - Important Elements of IPMA" and "Committees - An Important Role in Association Management." Immediate action included expanding IPMA News and Agency Issues; conducting a readership survey regarding Public Personnel Management; and establishing three new committees.

Government Affairs activities of the Association during 1992 included supporting legislation to amend Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code; opposing the Police Officers' Bill of Rights; opposing mandatory Medicare for all state and local government employees irrespective of their date of hire; supporting the extension of employee educational assistance provided by Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code; and endorsing legislation to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act.

The Association's International Training Conference on Public Personnel Administration was held in Anaheim, California. The 1992 International Symposium was held in Salzburg, Austria.

In 1993 a review of IPMA publications and Assessment Services was undertaken. Discussion papers on these topics were developed which were major agenda items for the Spring 1993 Executive Council meeting.

In follow up to discussions during 1992, the Association established three new committees including the HR Center Committee, the Compensation and Benefits Committee and the Emerging Role of the Human Resource Managers Committee. The HR Center Committee evaluated this membership service and as a result of the work of the committee additional products and topics for information packets were identified. The Compensation and Benefits Committee devoted its attention to the development of a compensation survey of executive positions and employment practices. The first survey will be undertaken in early 1994. The Emerging Role of the Human Resource Managers Committee focused its attention on the role of human resource managers, future skills human resource professionals would require, and who was the customer of the human resource department. The committee solicited articles for publication in Public Personnel Management and a session was included on the 1993 International Training Conference on this topic.

The Association's International Training Conference on Public Personnel Administration was held in Chicago, Illinois. The 1993 International Symposium was held in Paris, France.

In 1994 the Association undertook a major renovation of the Association headquarters. Programming activities included establishing a policy for improved handling of training conference social activities; adoption of an Affirmative Action/Diversity Plan; and the implementation of a compensation survey. In addition, a review of IPMA's government affairs program was undertaken.

The Association's International Training Conference on Public Personnel Administration was held in San Antonio, Texas. The 1994 International Symposium was held in Amsterdam, Holland.

In 1995, the International Training Conference was held in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Association focused attention on its publications program, including an expansion of the monthly newsletter, IPMA News. In 1996, IPMA developed its Web site (http://www.ipma-hr.org) and has been continually expanding the content and services of the site. The Association conducted its 1996 Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the 1997 Conference was held in Minneapolis. Initiatives during those years included the Division of Assessment Services’ exploration of alternative selection tools, to include a video-based police officer exam, which was subsequently produced, and research into new roles and responsibilities for human resource practitioners. This research concluded in the development of the IPMA HR Competency Model in 1997, and a training program developed to facilitate understanding of the importance of HR competencies, in 1998.

During these years, the Association also undertook the first major public HR benchmarking initiative, and partnered with the WorldatWork to develop a series of public sector compensation and benefits seminars, and developed a video to celebrate the Association’s 25th anniversary in 1998. The 1998 International Training Conference was held in Orlando, Florida.

The Presidents of IPMA during this period:

Since 1906, the Association has grown in size and stature throughout the world and today is recognized as the professional representative of public human resource managers from all levels of government. The members have significantly reshaped and improved the quality of public human resource management in the past, and with the professional commitment of its members, will continue to pioneer the innovative achievements of the profession in the future.