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History of Virtual Assistance

Secretarial services predate Virtual Assistance by more than a few years (it's estimated that they began somewhere between the 50s and 70s, possibly even earlier). Although the latter is an evolution of the former, it is important to understand that the concepts are uniquely distinct from one another. Virtual Assistance is an intentional brand of ongoing right-hand administrative support whereas a secretarial service is focused on one-time or occasional piecemeal project work.

Virtual Assistance History

1950s:	Advent (approximate) of secretarial services.
1981:	Association of Business Support Services International (ABSSI; formerly known as the National Association of Secretarial Services) is founded.
1992:	Stacy Brice begins working virtually as a full-time home-based contractor with an international client base providing administrative support, travel planning and personal assistance.
1996:	Brice begins working with life coach Thomas Leonard. During a telephone conversation with Brice, Leonard coins the term "Virtual Assistant" which further sparks an idea already germinating in Brice's mind. Brice begins working out her vision of a profession of administrative experts--Virtual Assistance--and creating a model distinct from secretarial services. She borrows the term Leonard coined to name this new profession.
1997:	The Virtual Assistance profession is formalized in February with the opening of Brice’s AssistU. Also in February, the first ever article on Virtual Assistance appears in The Secretary featuring Stacy Brice (originally interviewed November 1996) and Lora Davidek.
1997:	AssistU launches the "Daily Assistant," the first-ever ezine for Virtual Assistants which runs five days a week to more than 10,000 subscribers (most of whom were not VAs) until publishing is discontinued in 2000.
1998:	Global Association of Virtual Assistants (GAVA), a members site run by Amy Sarai and Julie Hewitt that also provides RFPs to the public, opens with the backing of Thomas Leonard. From Stacy Brice: "GAVA runs great guns for a year or two until fizzling out in 2000 due to lack of interest by both Leonard and the site owners. GAVA's only lasting legacy is the article 101 Ways to Use a VA" by Amy Sarai." Site owners Sarai and Hewitt also start VA4U.com as a directory of VAs (which is now owned by someone in the U.K).
1999:	Christine Durst and Michael Haaren establish Staffcentrix in Spring. In later years, Durst claims that she "founded" the industry.
1999:	AssistU adds Virtual Assistant certification to its program.
1999:	Durst and Haaren form the International Virtual Assistants Association (IVAA).
1999:	Jacky Workman forms the International Association of Virtual Assistants (IAVA).
2000:	Janet Jordan (deceased January 2006) opens Virtual Assistance University (VAU). Fred (deceased August 2006) and Shirley Gandee form the International Association of Virtual Office Assistants (IAVOA), and A Virtual Solution (AVS; now a web-hosting reseller) is established. IVAA begins certifying VAs.
2001:	Virtual Assistant Certification appears on the scene, formed by the allied founders of VAU, IAVOA and AVS. IVAA separates from StaffCentrix. Stacy Brice nominated for Fast Company's Fast 50.
2002:	Stacy Brice speaks at ABSSI conference in Virginia, encountering resistance to the new idea of Virtual Assistance and its relationship-based business model.
2002:	Janice Byer and Elayne Whitfield form the Canadian Virtual Assistant Connection (CVAC).
2002:	Michelle Jamison, Carol Ford and Laura Sandham form Canadian Virtual Assistant Networking (CVAN).
2002:	Mary-Lou Ashton forms Canada-based Virtual Assistant Training Program (VATP).
2003:	Kathy Zengolewicz, Jackie Eastwick and Mary Motz form the Delaware Valley Virtual Assistants Association (DVVVA).
2003:	ABSSI dissolves; domain ownership is assumed by Nina Feldman who repoints it to her web site. Business Support Services business owners begin calling themselves Virtual Assistants, although their business models predominately remain unchanged as secretarial services (mainly local clients and project/piecework for anyone willing to pay), presumably to jump on the Virtual Assistant bandwagon given the loss of their own group.
2004:	Margaret McKillen forms the Association of Virtual Assistants of Ireland (AVA Ireland), defunct as of 2009.
2004:	Caroline Nelson forms the Southeastern Virtual Assistant Group (SEVAG).
2005:	Danielle Keister forms Gritty VA (now a blog), a movement intended to instill standards of excellence in the Virtual Assistant community and promote increased awareness of the Virtual Assistance industry in the mainstream marketplace.
2005:	Caroline Melville forms Scottish Virtual Assistants (SVA).
2006:	Scottish Virtual Assistants changes to Society of Virtual Assistants (SVA).
2006:	Gritty VA evolves into the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce (VACOC), founded by Danielle Keister.

NOTE: Facts will be added on an ongoing basis to this History of Virtual Assistance. If you would like your Virtual Assistant association added to this history, send your information (name of organization, founder's name, year founded and website address) to thevacoc@hotmail.com.