HISTORY

In 1989, a handful of public information officers, led by President Emeritus Foster Arnett, PIO for the Knoxville TN Police Department, met with the thought of forming a professional association. There were smaller associations in some states, but none on a national level. The group believed that no matter where one practiced the noble profession of public information, everyone had the same needs, problems and challenges. From these discussions, the National Information Officers Association would be born.

In 1991, the fledgling association put on its first conference in the Chicago suburb of Northbrook, Illinois. They had no idea whether anyone would come, and they had no money in the bank. In fact, Arnett had to guarantee the hotel bill with his personal credit card. Luckily 40 PIOs paid $200 each to attend and the NIOA was on its way.

In the years since, the NIOA has grown to over 1000 members, and has held over 30 training conferences, which regularly sell out. The conference is widely regarded as the premier training opportunity for PIOs and other crisis communicators, featuring case-study presentations on the highest-profile events of the year, combined with practical how-to presentations and hands-on workshops, as well as unrivaled networking opportunities.