History

IAIA traces its roots to a fateful fortune cookie at a 1980 dinner among colleagues. But that dinner would not have happened if not for the 1970 United States’ National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The first major environmental law of its kind, NEPA required federal agencies to assess and consider the environmental impacts of their actions through detailed Environmental Impact Statements. But what was the best way to conduct assessments to meet these new requirements?

Fast forward to 1980 and the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in San Francisco. There Charlie Wolf, Fred Rossini, and Alan Porter led a session on integrated impact assessment. Over dinner that evening, the trio envisioned bringing together everyone involved in these assessments to help define best practices in the growing field. A fateful fortune cookie reading, “You will do well to expand your business,” cemented the decision to establish IAIA.

Incorporated later that year in Georgia, USA, IAIA held its first meeting in Toronto, Canada, in January 1981. Alan Porter served as its inaugural Executive Director, followed by Maurie Voland in 1988. The organization’s headquarters moved to Fargo, North Dakota, USA, in 1995 under the leadership of Rita Hamm. The main office remains in Fargo today, staffed by a dedicated team of six full-time employees plus a CEO based in London, UK.

From its beginnings as an idea shared over dinner, IAIA has grown into the leading global network for impact assessment professionals, promoting sustainability and informed decision-making worldwide.