[IPAC-List] IPAC Update

[Willihnganz, Michael]

IPAC Update
By Mike Willihnganz, IPAC President

Greetings IPACers and friends!  Now that the holidays are over and we
are well into the new year, I thought I would update you on the status
of our transition from IPMAAC to IPAC.  As of January 1st, IPMAAC is no
longer a Section of IPMA-HR, a relationship that it has enjoyed since
its inception some 32 years ago.  Instead, IPMAAC, which has changed its
name to the International Personnel Assessment Council (IPAC), has
established itself as an independent, self-supporting, non-profit
entity.  Although the formal relationship with IPMA-HR ceases to exist,
IPAC does plan to maintain a close professional affiliation with
IPMA-HR.  In fact, the 2009 training conference, which will be held in
Nashville, Tennessee from September 12th through the 16th, will be a
joint IPAC/IPMA-HR conference.  

Although the organizational name and relationship with IPMA-HR have
changed, the overall mission and principles upon which IPMAAC was
founded will remain in tact.  IPAC's mission is to provide its members
and others in the human resources field with easily accessed and varied
opportunities to learn, share, experience and teach state-of-the-art
recruitment and merit-based assessment practices.  IPAC, much like its
predecessor IPMAAC, is the leading organization of applied human
resources selection and assessment professionals, with members actively
engaged in practice, research and training to meet the needs of both
public- and private-sector organizations.

The IPAC Board members, Ines Vargas Fraenkel, Deonda Scott, Harry Brull,
Bryan Baldwin, Julia Bayless, Oscar Spurlin, Shelley Langan, and Warren
Bobrow, have been hard at work transitioning IPMAAC to IPAC and making
some organizational "infrastructure" changes to better support the new
independent, self-supporting organization.  These changes include a new
website (www.IPACweb.org) and a new listserve address.  Our period of
membership will be changing from a rolling anniversary basis to a
calendar year basis.  In addition, new bylaws are being written, new
marketing and membership campaigns are being prepared, and new products
and services are being identified.  What is sure to emerge from the
fruits of these labors is a more vibrant, active and visible assessment
organization.

With the official launch of IPAC underway, I have set forth some guiding
principles to help keep our priorities on target and our focus clear:
Some of these principles have been derived from those articulated by
past IPMAAC presidents; others are based upon our status as a new
organization:

1.  Provide training and development programs and services that meet the
needs of assessment practitioners.

2.  Promote psychometrically sound and effective human resources
assessment practices and procedures.

3.  Champion the integration of available technology with proven,
established measurement principles.

4.  Create opportunities for dialogue and the exchange of expertise
among assessment practitioners.

5.  Establish IPAC name recognition and a national presence within the
human resources assessment profession.

6.  Significantly increase organizational membership.

7.  Provide for a financially sustainable organization.

I believe that adhering to these guiding principles will keep us true to
the vision and values upon which IPMAAC was originally founded, and also
ensure that IPAC, the organization to which we have evolved, is
successful in playing a major role in the human resources assessment
profession.

For the immediate future, IPMA-HR will continue to process IPAC
membership dues.  Membership in IPAC is only $75 annually.  If you are
not a current IPMAAC member and would like to join IPAC, please complete
the membership form which can be found on the IPAC website
(www.IPACweb.org).  If you are a current IPMAAC member and receive an
IPMAAC dues renewal form in the mail from IPMA-HR, please renew your
membership.  IPAC will receive the full $75 renewal fee from IPMA-HR.
If you have recently renewed your IPMAAC membership, your membership has
now been fully transferred to IPAC.

For questions about IPAC or to become more actively involved in the
organization, please contact Mike Willihnganz at
mwillihnganz at co.napa.ca.us or (707) 259-8720.



Mike Willihnganz 
Assistant Human Resources Director 
County of Napa Human Resources 
1195 Third Street, Suite 110 
Napa, CA 94559 
(707) 259-8720 
mwillihnganz at co.napa.ca.us 
www.NapaCountyCareers.com 

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