The National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers is still accepting applications for the March 1, 2002 National Certification Exam. The deadline for application submission is February 8, 2002. Those individuals passing the exam will receive the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) certification. This certification demonstrates that these managers have passed the exam and met requirements for managing condominium, cooperative and homeowner's associations, joining more than 3,800 managers nationwide who have earned their CMCA certification.

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 recertify. 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.

According to CAI Senior Vice President Kris Cook, "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 meets that need."

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. It 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 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 Sharon Thomas, Certification Program Administrator, at (703) 797-6268, or email sthomas(at)caionline.org. Potential test candidates may also download the application from the NBC-CAM website.

The Community Associations Institute is a nonprofit association created in 1973 to provide education and resources to America'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.