Board Chair’s Welcome Letter

Welcome to our 65th Annual World Service Business Conference (WSBC) of Overeaters Anonymous. This year, the Conference will be back in person in Albuquerque and will be held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque from April 20–25, 2026. Registration for WSBC will be open in January 2026. In 2025, we had a successful virtual conference, and I am grateful that I will get to see many of you again in-person in 2026 and do great work together. We just experienced our wonderful 2025 World Service Convention in Orlando, Florida last week, and I still feel empowered by the six fabulous keynote speakers and the amazing workshops throughout.

First, a big thank you for your dedication and service as a delegate and attending WSBC. We know that many of you work and are sacrificing precious time with family to come to Albuquerque to provide service for the benefit of Overeaters Anonymous as a whole. What a great opportunity for us to establish a group conscience and make decisions for the future of OA, and work as a team in our Conference committee meetings. We also get to practice the Twelfth Tradition of putting “principles before personalities” when we work together.

Amendments to Subpart B of OA, Inc. Bylaws or new business to be placed on the Conference agenda may be proposed by any registered service body, any standing or ad hoc Conference committee, or the Board of Trustees and shall be submitted to the chair of the Board of Trustees postmarked, or date and time stamped through electronic transmission, by December 1, 2025. Please submit your motions as early as possible to allow time for review and assistance if needed. If you have questions or need help prior to submitting a motion, please contact your region chair, trustee liaison, or the Conference Bylaws trustee cochair. Resources are available to assist with the submission of a motion. Please visit the Conference web page under Resources for a video, slideshow, and sample motion forms and instructions.

First Timers (Green Dots) and Mentors

If this will be your first Conference, you will be known as a Green Dot. You will be paired with a Mentor who is an experienced delegate that has attended Conference before. Mentors can answer questions and help you understand the process of Conference business meetings and explain what your Conference committee work might entail, like working with other members from around the world. We ask that Green Dots and Mentors please connect with each other before Conference to go over any questions in advance. In addition, if you can sit next to each other during business meetings or meet during breaks, that can prove helpful as well.

Whether a first timer or a seasoned veteran, you will experience the following at WSBC:

• Attend up to three OA meetings daily to support our personal recovery.
• Hear the Serenity Prayer said in different languages.
• Meet the trustees who are nominees for election. For some, this will be their first time applying for the position, while others will be seeking an additional term. They will give speeches, and you will be able to ask questions.
• Hear questions and answers about committee reports.
• Participate in discussion and vote on the motions that came from our service bodies, Conference committees, and Board of Trustees.

Business Meetings, Meet the Maker, Literature Questions and Answers, Forum, and Workshops

The tentative Conference schedule is published on staging.oa.org where you can learn the various dates and times for an action-packed week. You will see that we have five separate business meetings. They begin on Thursday morning and continue through Saturday morning.

The Meet the Maker session will be virtual again this year and held in advance of WSBC. In this session, you can meet the maker of the motions. You will participate in breakout rooms and hear the details about those motions that you want to learn more about. Last year was the third successful virtual session. The date and time of the session will be announced when determined by the Conference Planning Committee and the session will be recorded and posted on the secure delegate web page on staging.oa.org for those delegates who are unable to attend.

The Literature Questions and Answers session will be virtual this year and will be held in advance of WSBC. In this session, you will hear from the Conference-Approved Literature Committee about any pieces of literature which have a motion for adoption on the WSBC agenda. You will be able to ask questions of the committee delegate and trustee cochairs about the literature proposed. No amendments can be made to literature other than ones that are editorial in nature. The delegates will either vote to adopt or defeat the piece of literature as proposed.

The region chairs are already working on ideas for the Forum held on Wednesday morning at WSBC. In addition, there will be evening workshops that the Conference Planning Committee will provide during the week. These sessions have been extremely impactful to my service work and my recovery. Please be sure to attend!

Delegate Binder

When you arrive in Albuquerque in April 2026, all delegates will receive a hard copy of the Delegate Binder. The Binder will also be posted on the staging.oa.org delegate secure web page in advance of WSBC. Please take the time to read the motions and reports prior to coming to WSBC in April. The Binder will include reports on all the work since the last Conference by the various Conference and board committees. It will also include region updates and trustee applications. Please check the staging.oa.org website when you receive any email reminders that a new Conference e-document is available.

Conference Committee Meetings

You asked and we listened! The post 2025 WSBC evaluation asked for more time to meet with your Conference committee. Therefore, committees will meet on Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. – noon and again on Wednesday afternoon from 1:30 – 4:15 p.m. I am excited to see what great goals and objectives will come out of these meetings. The Conference committees include Bylaws, Conference-Approved Literature, Public Information / Professional Outreach, Region Chairs, Twelfth Step Within, Unity with Diversity, and Young Adults.

Thank you again for your commitment to doing service for OA. As a representative of your service body, you are helping to mold the future of Overeaters Anonymous by giving your time not only at WSBC 2026 but also by doing service for the Conference committee you are assigned throughout the year until WSBC 2027. Together with your fellows, you are the voice of change for OA. We need you. Together, we can do what we could never do alone.

In loving service,

Bob L.
Chair, Board of Trustees