Be active with your member association!PDI-POA Members

There are many ways for members to be engaged with our association, including participation in one of our committees, planning for monthly virtual events or the Annual Protocol Education Forum, helping with new member orientation, and taking advantage of mentorship opportunities!

In addition to the standing committees described below, there are many ways to get involved with limited term special projects and volunteer opportunities as well. Check out the volunteer opportunities page to learn more about these ways to be active with PDI-POA!

Continuing Education and Professional Development Committee

Events Committee

Membership Committee

Communications Committee

Committee on Ethics


Continuing Education and Professional Development Committee

Have you considered how you will get the most out of your PDI-POA membership? The Continuing Education and Professional Development (CEPD) committee strives to provide meaningful networking and relevant learning opportunities for our members. Here are a few of our favorite ways to get the most out of membership:

  • CONNECT! Our Member Gatherings are a perfect opportunity to come together in a lightly structured environment to actually connect with other members. There are no one-way communications here! Join a Member Gathering to meet up with an old friend, to meet someone new, or if you are a new member, to find out what PDI-POA is really about: Our Membership! The PDI-POA Protocol Prose Book Club is another way to connect with members, while growing your library of protocol resources -- and perhaps having a chance to interact with the author of the chosen book!
  • LEARN! Webinars are a great way to learn new skills and competencies. We are proud of the selection of webinars that we have offered, and those that are still to come. If your schedule doesn't allow you to join a webinar, check our our asynchronous learning opportunities. On the refreshed website, you can find the video library of past webinars and education sessions on a variety of topics. You can also find our official Resource List, which is chock-full of reference books, websites, apps, and other sources of answers for your most persistent professional questions.
  • GIVE BACK! Have you considered sharing your knowledge with others? The CEPD Committee is always looking for new programming ideas and member volunteers. Join us any time! If one-on-one connections are more your speed, consider signing up to be a mentor in the Mentorship and Partnership Exchange Program. Connect and mentor a new member of the profession, or build a partnership with like-minded professionals through this exclusive membership benefit.

For information on any of our programs, to share job announcements, and to get involved, contact [email protected]


Events Committee

The Events Committee is responsible for organizing a number of activities throughout the year to engage members, and non-members across the globe. Events range from the annual International Protocol Education Forum, half/full day workshops, and smaller networking gatherings. We also work as an inter-committee team to produce our monthly virtual engagement programming. During the past year, we launched the first virtual PDI Member Gatherings! Veteran and new members from around the world were able to connect via Zoom to connect on similar interests and general ‘get to know you’ time. This was a fantastic event and a great opportunity to connect with fellow professionals in your field. Please plan to join us for future events if you can! Additionally, we have programs in the form of Fireside Chats and Roundtables to foster conversation among members on relevant, industry topics as well as presentation-style webinars that feature speakers' expertise. Check our Events Calendar to find out what is coming up next!

As we know, all well-run events require a team of people who are willing to gather together for a common goal. Your participation helps strengthen PDI-POA and offers you an opportunity to network with other protocol professionals around the world. We'd love your help as we work through these new program opportunities for our association! If you've considered hosting a workshop in your area, please let us know. If you would like to organize a networking or social gathering in your city, we would love to hear from you! Or if you have a particular skill set that would apply in producing events, both in person and virtual, we would love your help! Volunteers are the backbone of any successful organization, and we are fortunate to have a strong membership in PDI-POA.

  • Virtual Programming Team: the team brings together members from across our committees (CEPD, Events, Membership, and Communications) to work collaboratively to plan and implement the monthly virtual educational and networking programs provided to PDI-POA members and friends. We need volunteers with an interest in event planning and execution, developing ideas for educational programming, communicating about upcoming activities, providing technical support, and cultivating membership growth. Everyone comes together to ensure that we have a diverse schedule of event topics, delivered in a range of ways to make new connections and develop professionally.
  • Annual International Education Forum Planning Team: the Forum team works throughout the year to plan the logistics, theme, session topics, and activities that take place during each summer's Forum. Our annual flagship event takes a large group of volunteers to plan and execute! Participating on the Forum team, as well as volunteering at the Forum itself, is a great way to get to know others in PDI-POA and to expand your skills in event planning and execution!

We invite you to join us. Please reach out to [email protected] out with your event ideas, or if you would like to volunteer. We look forward to seeing and working with you!


Membership Committee

Membership in PDI-POA has never been more dynamic and valuable than it is today! The challenges of the past year have brought new energy and initiatives in programming that have increased the value of membership and added ways for all of us to learn and stay connected. Virtual offerings like the 2020 and 2021 International Protocol Education Forum, ongoing fireside chats and webinars, and our book club have brought us outstanding presenters and ways for people across the globe to stay connected

As a result, PDI-POA has experienced excellent growth this year, attracting many newcomers and reconnecting with people for whom travel has been impossible. We now encourage applications from people representing many disciplines and levels of experience for who protocol is a part of their duties, especially young professionals who are eager to grow their experience.

With the growth in PDI-POA membership, we need volunteers more than ever! Please contact the membership committee at [email protected] if you are interested in how you can support new and continuing members and help PDI-POA to continue to grow.


Communications Committee

Making PDI-POA an active and supportive professional association for our members is our focus. To continue engaging with our members, we have so much to do in communications! We are delighted to have a new website and email tools, and now we need you—and your ideas—to keep the great information flowing.

In the coming months, we will roll out new features that will allow members to engage with one another in a variety of ways. If you have an interest in engaging with the Association by encouraging members to ask questions of one another or share their stories, volunteer for the communications committee! We would love to have your ideas and creativity to help us continue improving communications across all channels: social media, website, email, and the new community platform.

If you are not sure about volunteering for the committee, we encourage you to please share your stories, reflections, ideas, and questions with us for our weekly communications and quarterly newsletters. We love hearing from our members and having the opportunity to learn from one another! Reach out to us at [email protected].


Committee on Ethics

The Committee on Ethics holds three primary responsibilities: to educate members on the Association's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct; uphold the Code by reviewing reported violations of it and/or other relevant Association policies and forwarding case-by-case recommendations to the Board of Directors for dispensation; and, together with the Committee on Governance, serve as the primary counselors to the Board of Directors on internal ethical matters.

The Committee on Ethics is led by a Chair appointed by the Board. Any member in good standing can join the portion of the Committee that maintains the Code and educates members on it.  The President appoints two others to join the Chair to review potential violations of the Code.  If you have questions about the Committee on Ethics, please contact [email protected].