Article

March, 2015 InFRE Update: Welcome Our New Board of Standards and Standing Committee Members

Kevin S. Seibert, CFP®, CRC®, CEBS – Retirement Planning and Income Management Expert, Managing Director of InFRE

By Kevin S. Seibert, CFP^®, CEBS, CRC^®, Managing Director, InFRE

The Board of Standards and Policy Development (BOS), the policy-making and oversight body of Certified Retirement Counselor^® (CRC^®) Certification, recently chose two individuals to serve on the BOS beginning in January, 2015. We extend our congratulations and sincere thanks to Sherry Keegan, CRC^®, Keegan Wealth Management & Retirement Strategies, LLC, and Lance Palmer, Ph.D., CFP^®, CPA, MBA, Associate Professor, University of Georgia for agreeing to serve on the Board of Standards.

Here is the complete list of the Board of Standards members today:

Barbara Healy, CFP^®, CRC^®, CFS, ShMC, AAMS, MCRS, SST Benefits Consulting – Chairperson
Claudia Freeman, CFP^® (US & Canada), CRC^®, MBA, Keats, Connelly and Associates, Inc.
Becky Frasher, CRC^®, STRS Ohio
Ron Nichols, Great West Retirement Services
Raymond Kirk, Public Member, Retired – Benefits Officer Training & Development Group, Office of Personnel Management
Curtis Morrow, CFP^®, ChFC, CRC^®, Gardner and White
Donna Richards, CRC^®, CISP, MBA, First National Bank of Hutchinson
Sherry Keegan, CRC^®, Keegan Wealth Management & Retirement Strategies, LLC,
Lance Palmer, Ph.D., CFP^®, CPA, MBA, Associate Professor, University of Georgia

What Does the Board of Standards do for InFRE and CRC Certificants?

The purpose of the BOS is to independently establish the governing rules and regulations related to the CRC^® program, make determinations regarding eligibility and all essential certification decisions, and provide mediation and interpretations for the program as needed by staff and other volunteer groups.

BOS members serve a three-year term and committee members serve a one year term.  Each year, only two to four new positions are available. To complement the experience of the existing Board and Subcommittee members, qualified candidates need to possess the competencies to be an effective, strategically-focused contributor and to successfully fulfill the roles and responsibilities of a BOS member. InFRE seeks qualified candidates who are leaders in retirement counseling and have a passion for how CRC^® professionals can benefit the public.

The InFRE BOS benefits greatly from the contributions of professionals and other stakeholders, and there are many opportunities for CRC^® Certificants to become involved with furthering the work of InFRE in meaningful and rewarding ways.

Examination Subcommittee:  With guidance from InFRE’s testing agency, the Exam Committee develops the certification exam and monitors its performance. Specifically, the Exam Committee is responsible for exam form pass point recommendations for all exam forms, and exam reporting format to candidates.

Recertification Subcommittee:  The Recertification Committee develops the recertification system and monitors its performance, including quality assurance through audits of Certificants’ applications.

Appeals Subcommittee: The Appeals Committee considers and makes determinations on appeals made by candidates or Certificants.

Disciplinary Subcommittee:  The Disciplinary Committee is responsible for enforcing and administering the disciplinary procedures established by the BOS.

Practice Analysis Subcommittee: Under guidance from InFRE’s testing agency, the Practice Analysis Committee develops and conducts a study of practicing Certificants to identify the tasks necessary and uses the results of the study to make recommendations for updating the exam content outline.