The ASAE Annual Meeting and Exposition is the largest association-level event of the year, with more than 5,000 association executives, association LMS professionals, and association consultants convening at once. This year, it is all happening in Columbus, Ohio from August 10 through 13 and it is going to be three full days of workshops, networking, and learning anything and everything association.
ASAE & The CAE Certification
The American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) has a strong commitment to providing professional development for executives at all levels. They publish books, newsletters, encourage online networking, offer online learning and support a credential called the Certified Association Executive. The schedule at ASAE Annual this year is dominated by educational sessions on how associations can develop a credentialing program.
Many professionals belong to a community of practice. These communities of practice often require individuals to maintain lifelong learning through continuing education credits or maintenance of certificate. This is especially true in the medical professions where continuing medical education is mandated for most physicians. There is a standard for credentialing programs between national associations and ASAE represents some 40,000 associations. Attending the various sessions at their annual meeting should help executives determine the proper pathway for their profession’s credential. Some of this year’s sessions focusing on accreditation and credentialing are:
- 12 Barriers to Accreditation and How to Break Through Them (this covers NCCA and ISO 17024 Standards)
- Healthcare Associations Masterclass: Critical Considerations for an Effective Certification Program
- How to Speak Psychometrician: Validity, Reliability, and Defensibility of Credentials
ASAE Offers Validation through Digital Certificate by Credly
Some big news this month to support this emphasis on associations providing valid and defensible industry credentials. ASAE announced that they will begin issuing digital credentials through Credly. ASAE will issue a digital credential to those professionals who earn the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential. According to the press release:
With the new digital recognition CAE holders will have the ability to share this achievement in a way that is simple, trusted, and easily verifiable.”
-Interim ASAE President and CEO Susan Robertson, CAE .
“It provides employers and peers concrete evidence of the skills and knowledge that our CAEs bring to the association industry.” Jonathan Finkelstein, Credly’s CEO, put it this way in the press release, “The use of digital credentials by ASAE elevates the impact of professional standards on society and raises the visibility and appreciation of those who have demonstrated the knowledge and skills essential to modern association management.”
The digital credential can be added to a blog, website, or social media account and links to a page with details about CAE credentialing, including the expiration date of the individual’s CAE.
Personalized Member Experience at ASAE Booth 1906
CourseStage LMS supports online credentialing programs and digital badges like Credly. We will be at Booth 1906 at ASAE to unveil new features of the LMS, including an expanded Catalog and advanced eCommerce functionalities. Set up an appointment with Director of Sales & Marketing, Amber Bovenmyer, to take a tour of our award-winning association LMS and win a Spark drone!