The Edmonton Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) was chartered in 1971 with 15 members. They have been active since then giving workshops, seminars and presentations, designed for secretaries and various levels of office workers. They have had speakers from local, national and international levels. Their subjects have ranged from “Communicating Effectively with Others” to “Time Management.” The Edmonton Chapter chose to hold their monthly dinner meetings on the second Tuesday of each month from September to June (we still do!). They were held at the Edmonton Plaza Hotel at 6pm. The meetings consisted of dinner, followed by a program, then finished up with a chapter business meeting. They tried to conclude the business portion by 9pm, so as to enabled members and guests to get home at a reasonable hour, in order to prepare for the next day or participate in other activities (including their families).
When the Edmonton Chapter started, the association was called the “National Secretaries Association” (NSA). The NSA was founded in 1942 in Kansas City, Missouri and grew to have members and affiliates in Canada, Bermuda and Great Britain. In Canada, the association consisted of one district (Canada District) containing 3 divisions: Western Canada Division, Ontario Division and Eastern Canada Division. There were approximately 55 chapters across Canada and approximately 15 of those chapters were in Western Canada. Most chapters were located in major cities. In Alberta, there were chapters in Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer. In 1981, the association changed their name to “Professional Secretaries International” (PSI). To stay current, the association changed their name again in 1998 to the “International Association of Administrative Professionals” (IAAP). The Edmonton Chapter was active from 1971 to 1983, when it disbanded for a few years. In 1986, it was re-established and continues to flourish today.
The Edmonton Chapter tries to stress the following:
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Fulfilling the spokes authority role for the secretarial profession;
- Forecasting directions trends and requirements that affect office practices;
- Elevating secretarial standards by means of continuing education; and
- Fostering programs for personal and professional growth and development.
Even back in the day, the NSA defined a secretary as “an executive assistant who possesses a mastery of office skills, who demonstrates the ability to assume responsibility without direct supervision, who exercises initiative and judgment, and who makes decisions within the scope of assigned authority.”
Our present and future vision is "to inspire and equip all administrative professionals to attain excellence."