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Welcome to NAHOThe National Association of Hearing Officials, Inc., is a professional nonprofit organization formed in 1987 comprised of individuals involved in the process of administrative adjudication. The twelve-member Board of Directors is elected by NAHO's membership and represents all sections of the country and a variety of administrative jurisdictions. NAHO does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, political affiliation, gender, gender expression, age, national origin/ethnicity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status in any of its activities or operations. NAHO's membership reflects racial, ethnic, and gender diversity. 2022 NAHO MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS Professional Development Conferences: NAHO's Spring Virtual Mini-Conference was held on Thursday, March 17, 2022, offering three hours of continuing legal education classes. NAHO's Autumn Virtual Mini-Conference will be held on Thursday, November 17, again providing three hour of continuing legal education classes. NAHO's Annual Professional Development Conference will be held in person, August 7 through 10, in Chicago. It will offer 40 hours of continuing legal education classes over a period of four days. Completion of the entire conference would garner 15.5 hours of continuing legal education credits. Certification: NAHO is the only national organization of administrative hearing officials which has a certification program for Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers. Upon successful completion of the educational and professional requirements and approval by the NAHO Board, a three-year certification is granted which can be renewed simply by keeping current on training in administrative adjudication. Webinars: NAHO is providing six free one-hour continuing legal education webinars to its members during 2022. The first three webinars were in January, April, and May. On-Demand Instruction: NAHO maintains a library of videos recorded from Professional Development Conferences and Webinars, which can be accessed online for a small fee. Viewing NAHO videos may also qualify for education credits toward NAHO certification and for self-study CLE credits in some states. Customized Group Training: An agency may request customized training for their member-adjudicators in a particular area of administrative law or on specialized subjects. Presently, these are scheduled as webinars, with on-site training to resume in the future. The NAHO News: NAHO's periodic newsletter keeps members informed about NAHO's activities and upcoming events. Members are encouraged to contribute articles of interest to administrative adjudicators. Social Media Presence: Members can connect with NAHO by following NAHO on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. NAHO Merchandise: Merchandise with the NAHO logo has long been available to members attending its in-person conferences. It will soon be available via the NAHO website. NAHO-logoed items include t-shirts, caps, padfolios, lapel pins, and face masks. Personalized, monogrammed NAHO items are available by special order. Networking: NAHO is in the process of updating its website with new features to connect members. Members will be able to access the email address of other members who conduct the same or similar types of hearings. There will also be a members-only blog on which members can share their comments on current events of interest to administrative adjudicators. |
NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN NAHO! Full NAHO membership only costs $60. By joining NAHO now, you'll be entitled to attend three one-hour NAHO CLE webinars, in September, October, and December, free of charge. You'll also be eligible for the discounted member rate for NAHO's Virtual Mini-Conference on November 17. If you have any questions about your renewal, please contact your Regional Representative or Marilyn Slifman. We're always accepting new members! NAHO Conferences2023 Professional Development Conference The National Judicial College September 10 - 13 Reno, NV Created more than a half-century ago at the recommendation of a U.S. Supreme Court justice, The National Judicial College remains the only educational institution in the United States that teaches skills for presiding over administrative hearings to administrative hearing officials of all types from all over the country. The NJC’s headquarters in Reno houses an auditorium, classrooms, model courtroom, computer lab, multimedia room, resource center, discussion areas, and administrative space. All classrooms are equipped with Smart Classroom teaching technology that integrates computers, responder systems, audio/visual equipment, and sound systems. To ensure world-class education, the NJC prepares its volunteer faculty of administrative law judges and hearing officials, as well as paid professional experts such as law professors and security experts, by having both groups participate in a faculty development workshop. The workshops prepare instructors to teach adult learners. NJC courses are often built around a “learn by doing” model that includes role playing, tests and quizzes, case studies, and learning games.
NAHO's venue for the 2023 Professional Development Conference is the Whitney Peak Hotel, in the heart of downtown Reno. It is Reno's only non-smoking and non-gaming luxury boutique property. It opened in 2014, and has recently remodeled its rooms and meeting spaces.
The hotel attributes its success to its unique features. Basecamp, a 7,000-square-foot indoor bouldering gym—boasts the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall. Heritage is a farm to table restaurant in the hotel with a menu that changes alongside the seasons. The Cargo Concert Hall is a unique gateway to the sounds of Reno, and highlights the Reno music scene. Enjoy networking with your colleagues at the Whitney Peak Hotel, ideally located at 225 Virginia Avenue within easy walking distance of restaurants, museums, theaters, parks, and and the River Walk! 
| October's Webinar: Ethics: Avoiding Impermissible Ex Parte Communications Thursday, October 20 1:00 p.m. Eastern 12:00 p.m. Central 11:00 a.m. Mountain 10:00 a.m. Pacific An ex parte communication occurs when a party to a case, or someone involved with a party, speaks to, writes to, or otherwise communicates directly with an adjudicator about the issues in a case pending or impending before the adjudicator without the knowledge of the other parties. Any administrative adjudicator, regardless of job title or the type of hearing over which he/she/they may preside, must consider only the evidence presented to them that is a part of the record of the hearing. It is unethical for a hearing official to:
If a hearing official inadvertently receives an unauthorized ex parte communication bearing upon the facts of a case that is pending or imminent, he/she/they must promptly notify the parties of the substance of the communication and provide the parties with an opportunity to respond. For adjudicators who work for or within an agency, board, commission, tribunal, or school district, this can be particularly difficult because they may be more likely to encounter someone who wants to provide them with “inside information” about a case without realizing that this sort of communication is prohibited and just plain wrong.
If you’d like answers to these and other questions regarding this important topic, or just wish to review the proper course of action in these situations, join NAHO for this valuable presentation. Free of charge to NAHO members $30 fee for non-members Instructors: Dwain Fagerlund, Peter Halbach, and Sarah Huber of the North Dakota DOT 
Upcoming professional development opportunities: Mini-Conference November 17 featuring 60-minute classes on Implicit Bias Ruling on Objections Ethics: Maintaining Independence Webinar on December 15 on Default and Due Process
Information from the 2022 NAHO Professional Development Conference in Chicago: Conference Schedule Conference Materials
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