Past Presidents & Conventions

The International Listening Association has met as a body every year since its founding in 1979. On August 23-24, 1979, Lyman K. “Manny” Steil hosted the “Listening State-of-the-Art Symposium” in Minnesota. According to the letter sent to interested individuals, the meeting would serve as an opportunity to “share important information and experiences and to establish a network of professionals.” Twenty-seven people met for the symposium and decided to establish the International Listening Association. The following have been locations for the annual meeting along with the incoming President (who served as convention planner as First Vice-President) and the convention theme.

NOTE: The table below is sortable by clicking on a column in the header row.

Year Planner/President Location ILA Convention Theme
1980 Lyman K. “Manny” Steil Atlanta, GA Listening: 1980 and Beyond; Birth of the ILA
1981 Lyman K. “Manny” Steil Denver, CO Rocky Mountain High
1982 Sally Webb Washington, DC Washington Listens ‘82
1983 Bob Miller Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN  
1984 Andrew D. Wolvin Scottsdale, AZ The Field of Listening: Directions in the 80’s
1985 Marguerite Lyle Orlando, FL Building Bridges through Listening
1986 Larry Barker San Diego, CA Conceptual Frontiers in Listening
1987 Carolyn Coakley Hickerson New Orleans, LA Listening in an Age of High-Tech--High-Touch
1988 William E. Arnold Scottsdale, AZ Listening Makes a Difference
1989 Kittie W. Watson Atlanta, GA Listening: The Next Generation
1990 Ethel C. Glenn Indianapolis, IN Centering Listening in an Oral Culture
1991 Wayne Bond Jacksonville, FL Listening as an Agent for Change
1992 Judi Brownell Seattle, WA A Listening Mosaic
1993 Michael Gilbert Memphis, TN Listening as Empowerment
1994 Sheila Bentley Boston, MA Listening An Agent for Positive Change
1995 Margaret Fitch-Hauser Little Rock, AR Listening in the Natural State
1996 Philip Emmert Sacramento, CA Listening: Building Foundations
1997 Susan Ellen Bacon Mobile, AL Listening: Celebrate the Past, Prepare for the Future
1998 Janet Cherry Kansas City, MO Listening: The Heart of Humanity
1999 Charles Roberts Albuquerque, NM Listening Enchantment
2000 Harvey Weiss Virginia Beach, VA The Listening Spirit
2001 Dick Halley Chicago, IL 2001 An Odyssey Toward Effective Listening
2002 Kimberly Batty-Herbert Scottsdale, AZ Listening: The Foundation of Community
2003 Melissa Beall Stockholm, Sweden Touch the World: Listen
2004 Ray McKelvy Ft. Myers, FL Listen to Bridge the Gulf
2005 Barbara Nixon Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN The Power of Listening
2006 Maria Roca Salem, OR Listening: The Language of Peace
2007 Margarete Imhof Frankfurt, Germany Listen and Make the Connection
2008 Lisa Orick-Martinez Portland, ME Listening Lights the Way
2009 Rick Bommelje Milwaukee, WI Growing Our Listening Legacy: Treasuring the Past, Embracing the Present and Creating the Future
2010 Laura Janusik Albuquerque, NM Transformational Listening: Listening To Change
2011 Chris Bond Johnson City, TN Listening for a Sustainable Future
2012 Alan Ehrlich Bremerton, WA We ARE Listening: Advocate, Research, Educate
2013 Debra Worthington Montreal, Canada Listening: The Art, The Science, The Joie de Vivre
2014 Pamela Cooper Bloomington, MN The Power of Story Sharing
2015 Philip Tirpak Virginia Beach, VA Listening: The Key to Life
2016 Kent L. Zimmerman Tucson, AZ Listening: A Labor of Love
2017 Charles Veenstra Omaha, NE Listening for Healing
2018 Helen Ralston Dublin, Ireland Listening Beyond Boundaries
2019 Anita Dorczak Vancouver, B.C., Canada Listening to Conflict
2020 Lori Joubert Seattle, WA Embrace the World: Listen to Build Relationships
2021 Melissa Beall Virtual The Intersection of Teaching, Research, Service, and Practical Application in Listening
2022 Chris Bond Virtual Listening During a Time of Change
2023 Raquel Ark Mainz, Germany Discovering the Impact of Listening to Every Voice
2024 Krishna Naineni Bloomington, MN Sustaining Best Listening Practices
2025 Marva Shand-McIntosh College Park, MD Listening S.O.N.G.