The Community Associations Institute (CAI) is pleased to announce that it has reached another new milestone with its Association Management Specialist (AMS) designation. Earlier this month, Thomas A. Jones, a community manager in Northern California, was named CAI's 2000th AMS designee.

Jones is a manager with M&C Association Management Services, Inc., in Stockton, California. He has been with M&C for seven years, and currently runs the operations for nine associations. Jones said his reasoning for obtaining the designation was two-fold. "First of all, if I plan on staying in this business for any amount of time, I want the credentials. This designation is the premier credential for what I do," he said. "I may not be in California all my life, so I wanted something that would travel with me. The AMS will do just that."

In addition, Jones said he's already seen the benefits of obtaining his AMS designation. "More and more people are looking for their managers to be credentialed. It just made good sense for me to do it. And, there are so many people getting into our industry these days, that if I want to stay competent and have a foot above everyone else, I knew I needed to obtain CAI's credential," he said.

To be eligible for AMS designation, new PMDP students, as of Jan. 1, 1999, must have at least two years of experience, and hold a CAI professional membership, in good standing. AMS candidates must successfully complete at least one PMDP M-200 series course, and earn and maintain the CMCA certification. Once the designation is earned, an AMS members must complete at least one PMDP course, plus eight other hours of continuing education every three years, and adhere to the CAI Professional Manager Code of Ethics.

Community association management is a growing profession dedicated to fostering responsive, competent, effective community associations. A community association manager's duties include:

• providing administrative, operational and managerial counsel to association boards and residents,
• developing association budgets and financial reports,
• directing the enforcement of community association covenants and restrictions,
• assisting board members in the selection of contractors and insurance providers,
• overseeing and authorizing payment for community association services,
• directing association personnel, and
• performing site inspections.

For more information on the AMS designation, or any of CAI's designations, contact CAI Central at (703) 548-8600.

The Community Associations Institute is a nonprofit association created in 1973 to educate and represent the nation's 205,000 community associations—condominium associations, homeowner associations and cooperatives. CAI members include homeowners, associations and related professionals and service providers.