NASBA Center For Public Trust 
Ethics in the workplace is a universal concern. There is not one industry that does not, or has not, benefited from the practice of ethical behavior. Recently, ethics in the workplace gained additional exposure as the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) announced two changes to its Certified Association Executive (CAE) Program. The updates include changes to the program’s Assessment System and the Renewal Policy.
The revised Renewal Policy now includes an ethics requirement, which will be mandatory for renewal and included as part of the 40 credits that are required for each CAE renewal cycle, beginning with certificates due to renew in 2020. According to the ASAE, this is part of “a commitment to a key cornerstone of the association management industry and the CAE credential.”
“The CAE Commission recognizes that executives come to the association world through many paths, often gaining valuable experience outside of our industry. Thus, the CAE Program should acknowledge these transferable skills and experience, while also continuing to shine light on the ethical responsibilities association professionals of all levels are charged to uphold,” said Lowell Aplebaum, CAE, CPF, Chair of the CAE Commission and Chief Executive Officer & Strategy Catalyst of Vista Cova.
Founded in 1960, the CAE Program is designed to “elevate professional standards” and “enhance individual performance.” To this day, the program continues to evolve and reflect the constant changes affecting the practice of association management. We have all read articles that discuss the ethical crises in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. As such, this credential continues to demonstrate to the public that a professional has considerable knowledge in understanding how to manage an association in changing and challenging times.
The NASBA Center for the Public Trust (CPT) applauds the ASAE for their commitment to producing more ethical leaders and for emphasizing what the CPT continues to achieve with its programming.
-Dina Barabash, NASBA Content Development & Web Specialist