Chair’s Message to the Membership:
From Where I Serve…
January 2026

As we begin a new year together, I want to start simply and directly.

My door is always open. Communication matters — and so does how we communicate. This year, my intention as Chair is to help set a tone of openness, respect, and shared responsibility, grounded in our spiritual principles and our common purpose.

I’ll close this message with a brief reflection on Tradition One and unity. Before that, I want to introduce the trusted servants who will be serving alongside me this year. We are fortunate to have members bringing fresh energy, experience, and perspective to the Board. I asked each of them to share a short paragraph in their own words, so you can hear directly from them.

Their willingness to serve is how this organization continues — and how unity is practiced, not just spoken. We try to walk the walk.

Board of Trustees – 2026–2027
(January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2027)

Mark M., Tech Chair, tech.chair@aa-intergroup.org
Mark has served as OIAA Tech Chair for the 2023–2024 term and the 2025–2026 term (through December 31, 2026).

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Susan R., Chair, chair@aa-intergroup.org

My name is Susan, and I am an alcoholic. I’ve been sober since December 7, 1987, and my homegroup is Dawn Patrol Online in Newark, Delaware. Since its formation in 2021, I have had the privilege of serving the group twice as its OIAA IGR. I have previously served as Chair, and over the past year I have continued to work internally through the PAC and in support of convention-related service.

I try to practice the principles in all my affairs, to be transparent and cooperative in service, and to remember that everything we do rests on unity and a shared desire to help the still-suffering alcoholic. My door is always open, and I can be reached at chair@aa-intergroup.org.

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Jan BB., Vice Chair, vice.chair@aa-intergroup.org
Hi everyone, I’m Jan BB, sober since July 10, 1990. My home group is The Steps We Took, an online meeting listed with AA GB, East Kent Intergroup, UK. I live in England and have been grateful to serve with OIAA since 2005, beginning as an IGR for Staying Cyber.

Over the years, I’ve held a number of trusted servant roles and served on many standing and ad hoc committees, including serving as PAC Chair through the pandemic until early August 2025. This is my first Board position, and I’m sincerely grateful for your vote of confidence at the December 2025 Assembly. I come to this role with a willingness to listen, learn, and collaborate, bringing compassion and my own program of recovery to the Board in support of peace and stability moving forward. I can be reached at vice.chair@aa-intergroup.org.

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Lesliee A., Secretary, secretary@aa-intergroup.org
I serve as the OIAA Board Secretary and have previously served as the OIAA Communications Chair and as IGR for the Serenity Now Women’s meeting. I bring experience in communications and service coordination to the Board. Contact me at secretary@aa-intergroup.org.

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Joe R., Treasurer, treasurer@aa-intergroup.org
My sobriety date is October 1, 2006, and I am a member of the Key West 12 Noon Group online meeting. I recently completed a term as treasurer of that group and felt it would be beneficial to continue in that line of service with OIAA.

My wife and I are retired and live on the coast of Maine. I welcome contact regarding any matters involving OIAA finances and can be reached at treasurer@aa-intergroup.org.

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Carlos D., International Trustee, oiaa.carlosd@aa-intergroup.org
My name is Carlos D., and I am a recovering alcoholic based near Lisbon, Portugal. My home group is Caminhamos Juntos Online, part of the AA structure in our country. I have been involved with OIAA since 2016, when we registered the first online group in Portugal, Sóbrio Online.

I served as Chair of the Unity Committee from 2023 until my election as International Trustee and helped organize both OIAA International Conventions. My focus is supporting groups outside the U.S. and Canada in becoming more involved in OIAA committees and encouraging international groups to register with OIAA.

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Mary M., Trustee at Large, oiaa.marym@aa-intergroup.org

OIAA Service:

– 12 Step Committee (Steppers): Member (2018–present), Alternate Chair (2020–    2021), Chair (2022–2023)

• Listkeeper / Registrar (2020–present)
• Public Information Committee: Member (2019–present), Chair (2024–2025)

Personal Statement:
My trusted servant positions within OIAA have been among the most rewarding and joyful experiences of my years in AA. The opportunities to reach someone in need are almost limitless, as one never knows what request may arrive on any given day.

Upcoming Events & Participation

IGR Forums – Last Saturday of the first month of each quarter

Next IGR Forum: Saturday, January 24, 2026
9:00 AM HST | 11:00 AM PT | 1:00 PM CT | 2:00 PM ET (UTC−5)
7:00 PM GMT | 8:00 PM CET
Meeting ID: 839 1683 1125 | Passcode: OIAA

Safety Workshops – First Saturday of the second month of each quarter

Next Safety Workshop: Saturday, February 7, 2026 – 2:00 PM ET (UTC−5)
Topic: Overview of Meeting Platforms
Zoom Meeting ID: 839 1683 1125
Passcode: OIAA
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83916831125?pwd=cDQvSlcxUjZmWlo4aEoyR0tlUUQwdz09
No pre-registration is needed — just come along and be part of the conversation.

Techsteppers Coffee Talk – Wednesdays, 1:00 PM ET (UTC−5)

Zoom Meeting ID: 831 1330 3832
Passcode: web
Weekly open discussion of tech and safety in AA.
(English, no live interpretation, but we can use automated interpretation.)

Assemblies – Third Saturday of March, July, September, and December (Election & Budget in December)

Board Meetings – Second Sunday of each month (all are welcome)

Board & Committee Meetings – Third Saturday of the first month of each quarter (all are welcome)

All times listed are Eastern Time (ET, UTC−5) unless otherwise noted.

Ongoing Service Work

OIAA has 9 service committees, each with a different focus. Every one of them needs volunteers. Please take this information back to your groups and share it. We especially need volunteers who speak languages other than English.

The best way to find out more about each is to go to our website at www.aa-intergroup.org. From the home page, choose Inside OIAA, Service Committees. You will find the list:

• 12TH STEP (STEPPERS)
• COMMUNICATIONS
• CONVENTIONS
• COOPERATION WITH THE PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY (CPC)
• FINANCE
• POLICY & ADMISSIONS (PAC)
• PUBLIC INFORMATION (PIC)
• TECHNOLOGY
• UNITY

To learn more about any committee, click on the listed committee. The next screen will tell a bit about what the committee does. For more information, email the chairperson by clicking on the oval “Contact Us” button.

Announcement:
PAC has a sub-committee now forming to support new IGRs.

If you are interested in helping to develop service sponsorship through the IGR Mentoring Program, please email  pac.CamH@aa-intergroup.org

I have been thinking about Tradition One….

“Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.”

Unity is not an abstract ideal. It is something we practice—through how we communicate with one another, how we cooperate in service, how we collaborate across differences, and how we compromise when the welfare of the whole calls us to do so.

Unity allows us to fulfill our primary purpose and to live the inclusive promise of our Traditions. It does not come from sameness or from avoiding difference, but from remembering who we are when new tools and new ways of gathering test our patience and perspective.

Guided by the group conscience, we serve rather than govern, facilitate rather than manage, remembering that service boards exist to support the fellowship they serve.

We do this work together—with humility, patience, and care for the whole—so that anyone who seeks recovery may find a place here.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve and for the trust you place in us.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan R., OIAA Chair