CLEAR President's Message - June 2026
Dear CLEAR Colleagues and Friends,
As the year moves into its second half, I find myself struck by the pace of what this community continues to accomplish. CLEAR exists to ensure that no regulator faces the demands of this work alone, and that purpose has never felt more relevant than it does right now.
Portland Awaits: Annual Educational Conference, September 14 to 17
Our signature gathering of the year draws near, and I encourage you to join us this September. The 2026 CLEAR Annual Educational Conference takes place in Portland, Oregon, from 14 to 17 September. Portland is a city that rewards curiosity, walkable, welcoming, and rich with character. It is a fitting setting for the kind of rigorous, honest exchange that defines CLEAR at its best.
The programme will bring together practitioners from across the globe to engage with the challenges regulators are navigating right now. Emerging technologies. Workforce pressures. Professional mobility. The evolving expectations of the public we serve. These are not abstract themes. They are the substance of decisions being made in offices and boardrooms every day.
I hope to see you there. Presence matters, in regulation and in communities like ours.
Your Voice in Governance: Board of Directors Election
CLEAR is guided by those who believe deeply in its mission, and that belief is expressed most directly through participation in governance. Ballots for the 2026 election to the CLEAR Board of Directors will be distributed on 20 July. I invite you to participate fully in the selection of CLEAR's next leaders.
The Board shapes strategic direction, stewards organisational resources, and sets the tone for how CLEAR serves its membership. Your vote determines who sits at that table. Please watch for your ballot and cast it thoughtfully.
Advancing the Profession: The CRII Credential
Credentialing is one of the clearest expressions of professional commitment. Development of the CLEAR Regulatory Intelligence and Innovation credential is progressing well. The Job Task Analysis meeting has now been completed, an important milestone that grounds the credential in the actual work of regulators rather than theory alone.
The next step involves broader input from discipline and compliance professionals. If you work in this field, please look out for a survey that will be distributed in the coming weeks. Your perspective will help ensure this credential reflects the full range of regulatory practice across our community. I strongly encourage you to respond.
Shape What Comes Next: Committee Service
CLEAR does not run on infrastructure alone. It runs on people. More than 150 volunteers contribute their time and expertise through committees and working groups each year, shaping programme design, research priorities, and the professional pathways that define this organisation.
If you have not yet explored committee involvement, I warmly invite you to do so. Whether your interest lies in education, credentialing, research, technology, or international engagement, there is a place for your voice. CLEAR is strengthened when regulatory practitioners step forward. Begin your journey by learning more.
Looking Ahead: Winter Symposium and Midyear Meetings
As Portland draws into focus for September, planning is also well advanced for our early 2027 gatherings. The Winter Symposium will take place on 6 January, followed by the Midyear Business Meetings on 7 and 8 January all in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a good place to start the year the way we mean to continue it, with focused conversation and shared purpose.
These meetings offer a more intimate environment for governance, strategy, and peer exchange. Whether you are newly engaged with CLEAR or a long standing member, these gatherings are worth adding to your calendar.
The work of regulation continues to evolve alongside the professions it serves. Public confidence depends on the quality of judgement brought to every decision, and that is the work each of you does every day. CLEAR's role is to support you every step of the way.
I look forward to seeing many of you in Portland this September, and to working with you through the months ahead.
With warm regards,
Paul Byrne
President, CLEAR