Get Involved In The Conversation

Want to see what conversations we are having at the Certification Network Group? The three latest posts to Certification Conversations are listed below. We encourage you to visit our blog and get involved in the conversation.

CNG Blog Authors

Trish Serratore Group Vice President ASE (National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence) 703-669-6633 tserratore@asecert.org

Trish Serratore is Group Vice President for ASE. An 18-year veteran of ASE, she leads communications, marketing and public affairs for the automotive industry's only independent credential for repair and service professionals. Her goal is to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service by promoting voluntary testing and certification of the professionals who perform it.

Trish received the Automotive Hall of Fame's Young Leadership and Excellence Award for outstanding achievements in the automotive industry and was named one of the most influential women in the collision repair industry. She is a member of the International Motor Press Association and the Association of Women in Communications.

Clarence L. Chaffee President The Caviart Group 703-835-9697 Clarence.Chaffee@TheCaviartGroup.com

A visionary, consensus-building leader with a proven track record of developing and implementing creative and innovative solutions to complex problems, Clarence Chaffee has successfully planned and implemented numerous strategic programs requiring the cooperative efforts of several organizations and disciplines. He is the creator of the Center for Collaboration and Education in Design (C2Ed) - a multi-group collaborative project that delivers continuing education for licensed design professionals over the Internet.

Chaffee is President of The Caviart Group--a partnership of experienced credentialing and assessment professionals which specializes in helping organizations grow through the creation of new certification programs or the expansion of existing programs. Prior to forming The Caviart Group, Chaffee served for 16 years as the Chief Executive Officer of the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB) during which time the organization grew by more than 800%. He directed the complete redesign and development of the Landscape Architect Registration Examination (L.A.R.E.) and oversaw the successful transition of that exam to a computer-based delivery format. He also envisioned and directed the integration of the examination with an international certification program resulting in the expansion of that program to 20 times its original size.

Chaffee holds a professional degree in architecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a licensed architect in Virginia and Maryland and nationally certified by the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

Janice Moore Co-Founder SeaCrest Company 704-724-2737 jmoore@seacrestcompany.com

Janice Moore uses her extensive knowledge of the certification and accreditation fields, to help organizations understand and comply with accreditation standards, review applications to determine their readiness, and prepare accreditation applications for submission.

She recently co-founded SeaCrest Company, which provides accreditation counseling, marketing and communications guidance, and association and project management expertise for associations in the certification field. Previously, Janice served as Associate Director of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) and served as the primary staff liaison to the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), NOCA's accrediting body.

E. Clarke Porter Co-Founder and CEO Integral7 612-436-0701 x108 cporter@integral7.com

Clarke is a proven leader and entrepreneur. Widely regarded as the "Father of Computer Based Testing," Clarke was co-founder and CEO of VUE; co-founder and President of Prometric, and developer of the first commercial computerized testing technology early in his career at Control Data Corporation. In an industry partnership with Carolyn Rose, Clarke and Carolyn did the seminal work building the IT certification concept, business model and infrastructure that spawned the multi-billion dollar IT certification industry encompassing all aspects of the value chain including skills development, assessment and high-stakes testing.

Clarke co-founded Integral7 in 2001 and as CEO is responsible for executing its strategy to provide enterprise credential management and verification services that unleash, enhance and protect the value of certification and licensure programs.

Louise Wehrle, Ph.D., CAE Certification Program Developer National Institute for Certification of Engineering Technologies (NICET) 703-548-1518 x125 LWehrle@nicet.org

Dr. Wehrle is a Certification Program Developer with NICET. Dr. Wehrle has extensive experience in the certification field and is the Chair of the Steering Committee for the Certification Networking Group; all of whose members are fellow certification professionals who meet on a quarterly basis in the DC area. She also serves on an ANSI accreditation committee for the Council for Food Protection and is an ANSI certified program auditor for the ISO/IEC Standard 17024 for Personnel Certification.

Prior to working at NICET, Dr. Wehrle worked with the certification programs of the National Contracts Management Association, with the Society of Military Comptrollers and with the Association for Government Accountability. She is the author of a number of published articles on the topic of certification and a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

Cynthia Allen Co-Founder SeaCrest Company 704-724-2737 callen@seacrestcompany.com

Cynthia Allen uses her experience marketing and communications and her experience in the association management industry to help organizations succeed. She is a founding member of SeaCrest Company, which provides accreditation counseling, marketing and communications guidance, and association and project management expertise for associations in the certification field.

Cynthia’s experience includes developing and implementing marketing and communications plans for associations ranging in sizes, scope, and mission, strategic plan development, public relations, operational and budget management, conference planning, educational program development, and more.

Jim Kendzel Executive Director National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) 202-367-1218 JKendzel@noca.org

Jim Kendzel, MPH, SPHR is the Executive Director of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA). NOCA is a membership organization that serves as the source for certification solutions providing information on the latest trends and issues of concern to practitioners and organizations focused on certification, licensure and human resources development. Jim has over 25 years of experience in conformity assessment and served at the Senior Executive level of a leading not for profit product certification organization. Jim's broad experience includes standards development both at the national and international level; and certification and accreditation systems related to quality management, product certification and personnel certification.

Jim is active with the American National Standards Institute and has served on various committees including their Product Certification Accreditation Committee, National Policy Committee, International Conformity Assessment Committee and the Executive Standards Council. In addition, he has managed U.S. Technical Advisory Groups for ISO Standards in the area of Environmental Management Systems and Food Processing Equipment. He is also an active member of ASTM and is a voting member on the E-36 Conformity Assessment Committee. Jim obtained his Masters of Public Health from the University of Michigan and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Georgia Patrick President The Communicators, Inc. 301-293-3350 georgia@communicators.com

Georgia is a catalyst because of her clarity and confidence in understanding complex problems, then mapping out the implementation steps. Her vision is simple and powerful--to create value and visibility for every individual who seeks and achieves certification and to elevate their employers as preferred providers when it comes to getting the best customers and contracts for goods and services.

Grounded in journalism and communications businesses, Georgia writes, publishes and creates "Web sites that really work and don't frustrate the owner" as part of her ongoing passion for connecting with and through people, every day, without pause or detours. She writes for national publications on issues of business leadership, communications, credentialing and professional development.