02/08/2022

An Update on ASAE's CAE Program

From Elizabeth Ward Santana, MBA, CAE 2022 CAE Commission Chair

The first half of my term as chair of the American Society of Association Executives' (ASAE) 2022 CAE Commission has been filled with changes. Not only are we seeing large societal changes and shifts in our workplaces, but we are also seeing some shifts in the Certified Association Executive (CAE) Program.

Let me start by saying farewell and expressing appreciation to our long-time senior director of credentialing, Lori Furtado, CAE. Lori served in her role for 14 years, helping the CAE Program achieve NCCA accreditation and facilitating the shift to computer-based exam delivery. I'd also like to thank Robert (Bob) Skelton, CAE who worked with the CAE Commission and served with ASAE for 17 years.

I would also like to welcome and congratulate Nancy Green, FASAE, CAE, who joined ASAE in November as the chief operating officer and is assuming executive responsibility for the CAE Commission. Jamar Wright, CAE has been with the CAE Program for more than six years now and has been promoted to the director of credentialing for ASAE. We appreciate Jamar and are happy to be working more closely with him as we move forward.

The CAE Program invested significant time and resources in developing a new strategic plan in 2021, and this new plan was finalized and shared with ASAE Leadership in the fall. While the CAE Commission remains in full support of the overall ASAE Strategic Plan, especially Goals 1 and 3, which focus on CEO and C-suite value and on career paths for emerging leaders, the CAE Program has distinct strategic needs of its own. It had been several years since the commission's previous strategy was created and an updated plan was needed to define future goals and strategic priorities. We reached out to many members of the CAE community, including program volunteers, CAEs, SAEs and other partners for internal and external discovery. Thank you for sharing your perspectives! We also looked into current trends and the Drivers of Change from ASAE ForesightWorks that may be impacting the CAE program. Facilitated by Tagoras, the CAE Commission developed new mission and vision statements (previously shared by Immediate Past Chair D.J. Johnson, IOM, CAE) along with new strategic imperatives and goals.

As always, we also have changes in the CAE community. One hundred-thirty new CAEs joined our community after the December 2021 CAE exam, including a number of new CAEs from Australia and New Zealand. Sixty percent of the candidates tested at Scantron centers, and 40 percent tested via live online proctoring, which will continue to be an option for candidates in 2022. If you would like to encourage any of your colleagues to become CAEs, please refer them here.

Thank you for this opportunity to give back to the CAE program. I earned my CAE credential in 2006 and, through that process, became interested and invested in the process of credentialing itself. It changed my whole career trajectory. I have since served on every CAE Committee and have learned and grown so much through the entire experience. If you are looking for a way to serve, please consider applying for service on a CAE committee. Calls for volunteers should be released around May.

Amy Farmer, the director of license mobility for the American Association of Veterinary State Boards, is an ASAE member and a doctoral student at the University of Missouri - Columbia. She is doing research around the adult motivations of association professionals concerning the CAE credential. She will be sharing her findings with the CAE Commission, and we encourage anyone interested to participate in this short (less than 10 minute) survey by selecting this link.

D.J. closed the last CAE Update with a wonderful line, that I'd like to repeat here in closing. "Let's all keep bringing leadership and relevance to our organizations, supporting each other and strengthening our vibrant and essential association community to make a positive impact."