Successful community association managers and business partners must possess a diverse skill set to provide sound advice to the homeowner leaders who serve on association boards. They also must perform their duties while following robust ethical standards that show integrity in their work.

CAI provides educational opportunities for community association professionals to achieve credentials such as the Association Management Specialist (AMS) designation, Large-Scale Manager (LSM) specialization, the Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designation, the Accredited Association Management Company (AAMC) designation, the Reserve Specialist (RS) designation, and the Community Insurance and Risk Management Specialist (CIRMS) designation. All are designed to elevate the professionalism of managers and business partners with the community associations they serve.

Recently, CAI announced important changes for its designation holders pertaining to ethical standards that must be followed to maintain credentials. CAI encourages all designation holders to review these revised documents:

Community association management, in particular, has become increasingly specialized and challenging as communities have become more complex and demanding. The profession has taken on even greater importance as local governments have ceded growing responsibility to community associations—from road maintenance, trash collection, and street lighting to recreational amenities.

State legislatures occasionally have sought to license community managers the same as real estate brokers or property managers, but community association management is a profession requiring unique skills. Association managers are hired to work with volunteer boards of directors to enhance, preserve, and protect communities. While licensure of real estate brokers, agents, or property managers protects consumers in sales transactions, it does not protect homeowners in the ongoing management and operation of their communities.

CAI opposes the regulation of community association managers as real estate brokers, agents, or property managers but encourages the certification of community association managers. In states that propose mandatory regulation of these professions, CAI supports a regulatory system that incorporates adequate protections for homeowners, mandatory education and testing on fundamental management knowledge, standards of conduct, continuing education, and appropriate insurance requirements.

Community managers and business partners with CAI designations must hold themselves to the highest ethical standards in their work with community associations. If you are seeking to hire a credentialed manager, insurance and risk management expert, or reserve analyst for your association, visit our Directory of Credentialed Professionals​.

  • Amy Repke

    Amy Repke brings over 20 years of experience to CAI serving as the organization's vice president of communications and marketing. Amy's communications career began in television news where she worked as a producer, writer, and assignment manager for both local and network news channels. In 2013, Amy launched a communications and marketing firm, consulting with clients representing political, financial services, trade associations, and nonprofit organizations. Amy has been nominated for four Washington Regional Emmy awards for writing and producing. Amy is a graduate of Old Dominion University and received a master's degree in Strategic Public Communications from American University.

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