ABOUT AIOBP
The American Institute of Business Psychology (AIOBP) is an accreditation body for training and coaching methodologies or processes applying organizational psychology for the enhancement of people and business.
It was started in the United States by Dr. Francis Casteel in the year 2000 to expand the use of psychology in business for the benefit of employees and employers alike. It quickly became apparent that to achieve such a goal, the AIOBP needed to align itself with the training and consulting industry and eventually the coaching industry. When Dr Gurinder Shahi became the Executive Director of the AIOBP in 2009 he realized there was a great need, at an international level, to raise the standards of “certified” trainers and coaches and the organizations that certify them.
Providers vs. Accrediting Bodies
The American Institute of Business Psychology (AIOBP) is an accrediting body for psychology based training and coaching. It does NOT train trainers, coaches or consultants. Nor is the AIOBP affiliated with any service provider, methodology or certification. This independence is important for a professional body committed to maintaining the gold standard for certification.
Since the AIOBP does not provide training or coaching, if a provider or organization which does train and coach has the AIOBP accreditation on their certification, organizations can be sure they are getting the highest standard available for psychology based training, coaching and organizational development. And, when trainers or coaches who are AIOBP members get their certification from an AIOBP accredited training or coaching provider, they will receive both the provider’s certification and the AIOBP’s Accreditation. Each certified member will receive an AIOBP identification card with their specific certification, the AIOBP stamp of approval and a certificate credential from AIOBP.
Universities are now offering diplomas or degrees in training and coaching, AIOBP is also considering accreditations for these curriculums. When we mention “training or coaching providers”, we include Universities in this category.
Verification of Accredited Training and Coaching Members
The AIOBP serves as an institution for verification of accreditation and certification credentials. All members who are certified through AIOBP accredited organizations are listed in the Training Accreditation Verification Database or the Coaching Accreditation Verification Database and their credentials are available.
Key People
James Wang PhD – Director
Gaining his PhD in Social Psychology from Stanford University with further studies in Industrial Psychology, James has affected the lives of many through his consistent efforts in improving the emotional and behavioral facets of the work environment. His work on Frustration in the Workplace has helped the Industrial Psychology industry substantially through greater understanding of the effects of a work environment on emotion and reaction. As a Director of the AIOBP, James is committed to assist training and coaching providers in the journey to excellence
Social Psychology.
Dr. Ray Forbes, Board Member,Advisor
Dr. Ray Forbes is a member of the AIOBP accreditation board as well as an advisor and contributor for the AIOBP, he also is the Chair of the Masters Degree Program in Business Psychology within the College of Arts, Sciences and Technology at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. Formerly President of the Faculty Senate, he was instrumental in the startup of the MBA coaching program, Executive Coaching specialization, and the university mentoring program.
Previously was faculty at Sacred Heart University and the Naval Postgraduate School and has been an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine, New Haven, St. Thomas, and Metropolitan State universities as well. Ray is also a licensed Psychologist and a certified Master Personal and Executive Coach. He is a founding board member of the Graduate School Alliance for Executive Coaching.
Ray’s practical business experience come from his stints with Northwest Airlines and the Raymark Corporation in the areas of human resources, strategic planning, quality, organization development and leadership development. A U. S. Naval Academy graduate and a retired naval officer, his military service was on destroyers and submarines. While on active duty he served for eight years as an internal organization development consultant.
His Ph.D. is in Leadership and Human Behavior from the U.S. International University. Ray also holds a masters degree in Human Behavior from U.S.I.U. and an MBA from the University of New Haven. He has also earned a certificate from the Advanced Program in Human Resources and Organization Development at Columbia University and successfully completed the Program for Specialists in Organization Development sponsored by the National Training Laboratories.