Community Associations Network Industry News

ALEXANDRIA, VA, MAY 18, 2007—Judi M. Phares, CMCA, PCAM, president and CEO of RTI/Community Management Associates, Inc., in Plano, TX, was recently honored with the prestigious Barbara Byrd Keenan Award for her dedicated service to the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers (NBC-CAM). NBC-CAM chair in 2005-06, Phares served on the blue ribbon task force that founded the certification group in 1995. She has also served on the NBC-CAM Board of Commissioners.

The award was presented by NBC-CAM Chair Pat Wasson, CMCA, PCAM, at Community Association Institute's record-setting National Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas. The conference was the largest event in CAI history, with more than 1,300 people in attendance.

Only three other people have been honored with the Keenan Award: Barbara Keenan (2002), staff president of CAI from 1992 to 2002; Jerry Fein (2004), a New Jersey homeowner who was actively involved in both CAI and NBC-CAM; and Stephen Castle (2005), CMCA, AMS, PCAM, president of Mid-Atlantic Management Corp. in Plymouth Meeting, PA.

To be eligible for the award, the individual must make exceptionally valuable contributions to the advancement of the manager certification program and achieve distinction in the field through leadership, research or management.

In addition to her tremendous contributions to NBC-CAM and the community management profession, Phares was recognized for her personal and corporate commitment to professionalism and high ethical standards. Her company earned the 2006 Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award and the 2006 American Business Ethics Award.

"Like Barbara, Jerry and Steve before her, Judi was instrumental in the growth and development of the NBC-CAM certification program," said Executive Director Dawn Bauman, CAE. "Her personal and professional commitment to excellence in community management is unwavering. She is a role model for all professional community managers, exemplifying professionalism, leadership and high standards in everything she does. Our industry is fortunate to have a professional of Judi's caliber."

More 7,000 professionals have earned the Certified Manager of Community Associations certification since NBC-CAM was created a dozen years ago. CMCA certification signifies that a manager has passed NBC-CAM's national exam and met the requirements for managing condominium, cooperative and homeowner associations.

To search for an active CMCA, visit www.nbccam.org/hiring/search.cfm.

NBC-CAM was founded by CAI to establish guidelines for acquiring and demonstrating fundamental knowledge of community association management. An affiliate of CAI, NBC-CAM operates as an independent entity. It is the first and only national organization created solely to certify community association managers and to help consumers identify managers who have demonstrated fundamental competency and knowledge in this profession.

More information on NBC-CAM can be accessed at www.nbccam.org. To learn more about CAI, visit www.caionline.org.

Posted by Joe at 5:16 PM | Permalink

Plano, TX, May 17, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Judi M. Phares, president and CEO of CMA (RTI/Community Management Associates), was awarded the Barbara Byrd Keenan Award by the National Board of Certification for Community Association Managers (NBC-CAM). Phares was honored at the Community Association Institute’s recent national conference in Las Vegas. Current NBC-CAM Chair Pat Wasson presented the award for her "exceptionally valuable contribution to community association management certification."

Phares is a past chair of NBC-CAM, which administers the only national certification program for community association managers. She holds credentials as both a Certified Manager of Community Associations®, CMCA®, and a Professional Community Association Manager®, PCAM®, and has been a leader in establishing professional standards for the community association management industry.

“In the past 20 years, our industry has made great progress in setting professional standards and certifying credentials,” said Phares. “I’m deeply honored to receive this recognition for what has been my long-standing passion, to continually raise the bar toward professional excellence.”

NBC-CAM grants the CMCA® credential to individuals who demonstrate fundamental knowledge and expertise in managing homeowner and condominium associations and cooperatives. The non-profit credentialing agency is affiliated with Community Associations Institute (CAI), which provides education and resources to community association homeowners, managers, and other industry professionals.

The estimated 57 million Americans who live in more than 286,000 community associations need accurate and professional guidance on issues such as reserves, maintenance, insurance, budgets, governance, contracts, the law, and rules enforcement. Through its education and examination requirements, NBC-CAM provides association residents with a level of confidence in the qualifications of the CMCA credentialed manager.

CMA (www.cmamanagement.com) employs a staff of more than 100 at its corporate headquarters in Plano, Texas. They have regional and on site offices throughout the Metroplex and in South Texas. In addition to its leadership in establishing professional credential standards, CMA has been instrumental in developing the ethics standards for its industry and in advocating for continual ethics awareness. The company is the recipient of the 2006 Greater Dallas Business Ethics Award and the 2006 American Business Ethics Award.

Posted by Joe at 9:32 AM | Permalink