Saturday, June 13, 2026
8:15AM – 4:30PM
Your Organization’s Meetings: Why Robert’s Still Rules!
Join the New England Association of Parliamentarians and the George Demeter Unit at the Showa Boston Institute in Boston, MA on Saturday, June 13th for a full day of parliamentary education. We are approved for up to four (4) CEUs for RPs and PRPs looking to jump start their 2026-27 requirements.
Registration
Event registration is $45 ($25 for students) until June 9, and $55 thereafter including at the door!
Schedule
Time and locations are subject to change.
** Workshop eligible for CEU for RP and PRP members.
8:15 a.m. – Registration (includes morning beverage and assorted pastries)
9:00 a.m. – Welcome Remarks by George Demeter Unit President Peter Klapes and New
England Association of Parliamentarians President Peter Senopoulos, PRP. (Main
Auditorium)
9:10 a.m. – Parliamentary Basics for Productive Meetings**: Peter Senopoulos, JD, PRP,
will present an overview of “Parliamentary Basics” and the reasons why groups need to follow rules to conduct meetings in a fair democratic. Subjects include: bylaws; proper order and handling of motions; characteristics of a successful presiding officer and use of a proper agenda and minutes. This is an excellent introduction to parliamentary procedure newcomers and a good “refresher” for more experienced participants. (Main Auditorium)
Break
10:30 a.m. – Electronic Meetings**: Evan Lemoine, PRP and Donald Fishman, Ph.D:
Review of the basic governance requirements necessary to successfully conduct electronic meetings. Due to the pandemic, electronic meetings are here to stay and your organization must adapt to preserve the fundamental principles of parliamentary procedure and the democratic process. (Main Auditorium)
11:30 a.m. – Round Table Discussion: Your Parliamentary Procedure Questions Answered: Members of the conference faculty will address follow-up questions/comments by conference participants.(Main Auditorium)
12:00 p.m. – Luncheon (included in registration)
12:50 p.m. – Your Organization’s Bylaws: Patti Legault-Frank, Labor Guild faculty member. Whether doing an examination of your current bylaws or drafting the original bylaws for a new organization, this review of the range of articles and the range of options within each article will ensure that your bylaws reflect the preferences and principles your organization deems important. There will be no “why didn’t we think of that?” after this workshop! (Main Auditorium)
2:00 p.m. – Nonprofit Organizations, Traps for the Unwary**. The Honorable Michael Malamut, JD, PRP, CPP-T, will explain certain significant variations between special statutory provisions applicable to incorporated nonprofit organizations in the New England states and default provisions of Robert’s Rules. (Main Auditorium)
Brief Break
3:00 p.m. – Two Options:
Option 1 (Basic Level) – You’ve Been Elected Secretary! Now What – B. Judy Fenner, N.A.P. member, will discuss the significant role and tasks of an organization’s Secretary. Topics include: proper notices, agendas and taking and maintaining minutes in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. This presentation will be followed by an open forum, facilitated by George Demeter Unit President, Peter Klapes, about Why Robert’s Still Rules and the importance of Parliamentary Procedure in our democratic society. (Classroom)
Option 2: (Advanced Level) – Major Variations Between the Default Provisions of Robert’s and the Rules for public bodies who follow Open Meeting Laws**: Peter Senopoulos, Esq., PRP will explain some strict requirements that public bodies must follow vs. private assemblies who follow Robert’s Rules. This will be of interest to members of public bodies and to those citizens who want to ensure that government business is conducted properly. (Classroom)
3:50 p.m. – Annual meeting of the George Demeter Unit, National Association of Parliamentarians (Classroom)
4:15 p.m. – Special Presentation: “Who was George Demeter”, by Peter A. Senopoulos, Esq., PRP (Classroom)
Presenters
B. JUDITH FENNER is a Member of the National Association of Parliamentarians, New England Association of Parliamentarians and the MA. George Demeter Unit and served as Unit Past President and Secretary. She is the Parliamentary Advisor to the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Osterville and Grand Chapter of Massachusetts Order of the Eastern Star. She was also the Bylaws Committee Chairman for Cape Cod Genealogical Society where she is President until mid-June after a 4-year term. She is bilingual in English and Portuguese. Member of Order of the Eastern Star for 35 years, and Worthy Grand Matron of Massachusetts 2002-2003, leadership of 10,000 members. Chairman of Deputies for Brazil for the General Grand Chapter 2009-2027 responsible for coordinating Deputies in eight regions of Brazil with over 40 Chapters, assisting in founding new Chapters, assuring compliance with rules and regulations of the Order
DONALD FISHMAN (Ph.D. Northwestern University) is the assistant chair of the Department of Communication at Boston College. He is the author of over forty articles on communication-related issues. Fishman is the past president of the Eastern Communication Association (ECA). Fishman is the recipient of the National Communication Association’s (NCA) Haiman Award for Distinguished Scholarship in Freedom of Expression, and NCA’s Phifer Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Parliamentary Procedure. He also is the winner of the 2012 Phi Beta Kappa Outstanding Teacher Award at Boston College. Fishman served twice as the chairman of the Commission on American Parliamentary Practice (CAPP).
PATRICIA LEGAULT- FRANK has been a consulting Parliamentarian and Governance Specialist since 1981. She is a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians and the George Demeter Unit of NAP. Her expertise has been sought by many organizations, including international, national, state, and local unions; credit unions; school committees; professional organizations; attorneys; universities; and social organizations. She has been teaching at The School of Industrial Relations (The Labor Guild) since 1983. As a prelude to consulting, Legault-Frank was with the Massachusetts Teachers Association (a 68,000-member union) from 1976 to 1986, where she represented eight local affiliates and was responsible for labor contract negotiations and enforcement.
EVAN LEMOINE, PRP, of Providence, Rhode Island has been a member of the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) since 2008, a registered member since 2009, and professionally registered since 2011. He was the charter President of the eNAP Unit (2011-12), New England Association of Parliamentarians (2013-17), and Young Professionals Parliamentary Practice Unit (2017-Present). He is a past two-term NAP Treasurer (2011-15), has served as Electronic Association of Parliamentarian’s Secretary Pro Tem (2017), Vice President (2017-19), Treasurer (2021), and President (2019-21). In 2018 he served NAP as the Training Conference Workshop Coordinator in Buffalo, New York. He has served NEAP as a past treasurer, vice president, and secretary pro tem.
MICHAEL E. MALAMUT, JD, PRP, CPP-T, is from Dedham, Massachusetts. Judge Malamut worked for New England Legal Foundation and the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development before his appointment to the bench as Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court in 2019. Judge Malamut has long been involved in nonprofit issues in the American Bar Association, having served as Chair of the Business Law Section’s Nonprofit Organizations Committee and now serving as liaison to the Commission on Homelessness. He served as co-chair of the Boston Bar Association working group revising the Massachusetts Nonprofit Corporation Act and as elected Chair of the Town of Dedham Commission of Trust Funds. He is credentialed as a Professional Registered Parliamentarian with NAP, a Certified Professional Parliamentarian and Teacher with AIP, and a Certified Governance Consultant with Board Source. He is a member (2000–present) and Past Chair (2008–2023) of the AIP Opinions Committee, Past Chair of the NAP Questions & Answers Committee (2017–2019, 2023–2025), and a member of the authorship team for the first (2012) and second (2023) editions of the AIP Standard Code, the second edition (2018) of Keesey’s Modern Parliamentary Procedure, and the fourth edition (2014) of Fundamentals of Parliamentary Law and Procedure. He was President of the American College of Parliamentary Lawyers (2009–2012), was appointed AIP Robert English Lecturer (2018), and was twice awarded the AIP Presidential Award for Parliamentary Writing (2000, 2020). He serves as parliamentarian to a number of national and international charitable organizations. He received his undergraduate degree in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School.
PETER A. SENOPOULOS, J.D., PRP, of Boston, Massachusetts, is a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and President of NAP’s New England Association of Parliamentarians. He is the immediate Past President of NAP’s George Demeter Unit and the Unit’s current Parliamentarian. He is also a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and The American College of Parliamentary Lawyers. As Legal Counsel for two large Massachusetts public safety agencies (now retired) he was responsible for conducting hundreds of public meetings of multiple boards, commissions and committees, as either Legal Counsel, Parliamentary Advisor, or Chairperson. During his public service career, he was a recipient of the Commonwealth’s prestigious Eugene H. Rooney and the Manuel L. Carbello public service award for his efforts. Peter currently serves as a Parliamentarian, Parliamentary Advisor, moderator or instructor for a variety of deliberative organizations, both public and private. He particularly enjoys conducting Parliamentary Procedure training sessions for individuals and groups, including sessions at the Boston Public Library and the Social Law Library.