The National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers is still accepting applications for the March 2, 2001 National Certification Exam being given in major cities across the country. The deadline for application submission has been extended to February 16, 2001. Those individuals passing the exam will receive the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) certification—which demonstrates that these managers have passed the exam and met requirements for managing condominium, cooperative and homeowners' associations, joining more than 3,200 CMCA certificants nationwide.

To obtain the CMCA certification, a manager must successfully complete a 16-hour classroom course—the Essentials of Community Association Management—and pass the National Certification Examination. The exam was developed by over 1,000 managers, homeowners, and association professionals and is administered by an independent outside testing agency. Certified managers must adhere to the CMCA Standards of Professional Conduct and take continuing education courses to re-certify. If CMCA certificants do not comply with the Standards of Professional Conduct, they are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension or revocation of the credential.

With the dramatic increase in association-governed housing over the last 25 years, there is an expanded need for education in community association management. The National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers (NBC-CAM) was established in 1995 by the Community Associations Institute to ensure that managers have the appropriate skills to effectively manage community associations.

The CMCA certification is the first tier of the pyramid of professionalism for community association managers, which is followed by the Association Management Specialist (AMS) and the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designations offered by the Community Associations Institute (CAI).

If you are a community association manager and are interested in taking the exam, call Mary Whitener, CMCA Program Administrator, at (703) 797-6268, or email to mwhitener(at)caionline.org. Potential test candidates may also download the application from the NBC-CAM Web site. NBC-CAM is the first and only nationwide organization created solely to certify community association managers and to help consumers identify managers who have demonstrated fundamental competency and knowledge in this profession.

The Community Associations Institute is a nonprofit association created in 1973 to educate and represent the nation's 231,000 community associations—condominium associations, homeowner associations and cooperatives. CAI members include homeowners, associations and the professionals who provide products and services to them.