CAI & Manager Credentialing

We have received many responses to our July 9, 2010, blog entry on manager credentialing.  Of all of the interesting responses we have received, one thread in particular caught our attention.  That has to do with CAI mandating manager credentialing and benefiting financially from such a credentialing program.  While Altitude Community Law has no formal position on manager credentialing and believe this issue is one primarily for managers to debate, we did some research on the concerns expressed in this thread and here are some facts we gathered:

1. CAI has a Public Policy addressing Community Association Manager Credentialing.  While the CMCA designation is the preferred credential to be used in legislation, it is not mandated by CAI.  Likewise, the M-100 is the preferred prerequisite educational class for managers seeking a state-approved certification.  However, the Public Policy does not mandate that legislation include the M-100 as the required course.
2. One of the most consistent legislative trends we have seen across the United States is the mandatory regulation of community association managers.  To date, ten states have a regulatory scheme in place for managers with several more states considering regulation.  In those states mandating the regulation of community association managers, cottage industries have arisen which provide educational coursework for managers.  CAI is not the only vendor in these states which is approved to provide education.  In fact, CAI has to compete with other providers for attendees at educational programs. 
3. The National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers (NBC-CAM) created the Certified Manager of Community Associations credential (CMCA).  The CMCA is the only national certification program designed exclusively for community association managers.  Also, based upon our research, we believe it is the only credential for managers that is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. 

While our research was not exhaustive, we believe these facts may be of interest in these discussions.