Overview
CCPIO was formed out of efforts starting in the 1980s to provide more education and structure for court communications professionals across the country. A grant in 1992 from longtime West Publishing Co. CEO Dwight D. Opperman led to the first-ever national conference of judicial public information officers — allowing a chance for those communicators to meet, exchange ideas and receive advanced training. Meetings continued throughout the ’90s, but it wasn’t until the end of that decade that CCPIO fully developed as a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing court communicators a forum for training and development. The organization meets once a year, hosted each time by a different court system across the country. Between conferences it provides an online venue for court communicators to consult each other and track industry developments. Most recently, CCPIO’s scope has expanded to include communicators supporting court systems in Canada, Europe and in American territories.