The first general membership meeting of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance Professionals (PASAP) was held February 12, 1990, at the Northeast Regional Student Assistance Conference held in Philadelphia.  Members of the group's first board of directors were formally introduced at the meeting.

The size and scope of the student assistance movement in the state led to the formation of PASAP.  That interest found expression initially in April 1989, when more than 35 Pennsylvania delegates met during the National Student Assistance Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, to discuss the idea.  It was agreed that a statewide SAP association could serve many needs of student assistance professionals (e.g., networking, bridging the gap between publicly and privately trained SAP teams, advocating for common interests, and creating and maintaining a statewide voice).

In establishing the board of directors, care was taken to select a board that would be geographically representative of the state and would be well balanced in terms of SAP professionals (urban, suburban, and rural locations), private providers, and treatment professionals (mental health and substance abuse). The board consists of 17 members, all of whom volunteer their time.

PASAP's Board of Directors introduced at the organization's first general membership meeting included; Barbara Cincera, Audrey Conway, Pat Dareneau, Jack Gallo, Betsy Gingrich, Jim Higgins, DeRicci Horwatt, Brenda Kindom, Lorrie Long, Harriette Meriwether,  Phil Monteith, Robert Oliver, Diana Kulp-Dale, Gwen Porter, Lee Rush, John Tobey, and Chris Yeager.