I.C.E.’s Future Includes You

By Denise Roosendaal, CAE

As we head into 2022, I am reflecting on the skills we all needed to survive 2020 and 2021. Perseverance, patience, empathy and more perseverance. Just as we thought we’d rounded the COVID-19 corner, the news of new variants slowed us down. Nonetheless, I sense that we are putting less energy into “returning to normal” in exchange for deciding what normal will be for our organizations, our professions and our teams. 

As we reset our focus, I am struck by the need for balance between holding onto priorities that have always seemed relevant and exploring new priorities whose relevance seem even more important in today’s ever-changing environment. Handling both equally is an important component of leadership.

For I.C.E., we are forging ahead in both ways. Our Ends Statements and Strategic Plan is focused on creating value for your membership including:

• Maintaining financial stability while growing programs and membership
• Forging ahead on our diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) journey — internally and externally — as we develop educational programs, research and other resources for our members
• Moving from a beta phase to full launch of our certification program
• Releasing a half dozen or so research and development reports that were under construction in 2020 and 2021
• Growing the reach of popular I.C.E. offerings such as the newly released Credentialing Insights podcast series, resources for development of assessment-based certificate programs, micro-credentialing toolkit, international toolkit and military toolkit
• Exploring the Future of Credentialing initiative with the assistance of the ASAE Foresight Works program
• Continuing high quality education, such as our Certificate for Credentialing Specialist and our webinar series
• Reintroducing a new online community solution for members to engage with each other with questions and solutions that help with everyday dilemmas
• Continuing externally produced research around live remote proctoring, DE&I and other important credentialing topics

Of course, we maintain focus on delivering high quality content in all of our flagship programs such as NCCA, I.C.E. 1100 accreditation, our IAS partnership on NCCA and ISO 17024 accreditation, and the I.C.E. Exchange 2022. We are always aiming to improve upon these programs that you, our members, have told us are valuable.

Even if some uncertainty remains, what is clear to us at I.C.E. is that we would not be able to accomplish our projects without the incredible input and dedication of our membership. We received close to 100 requests for 2022 volunteer positions, in addition to members already on commissions, councils and the board, and were able to place everyone in a volunteer slot. So much of I.C.E.’s value comes from this growing community, which is rich with expertise and generous with its knowledge.

We understand volunteering does not fit everyone’s crazy schedule. We do have micro-volunteering opportunities open year-round, which do not require a time commitment for meetings. You can sign up any time and we’ll notify you when a project is in need of quick member collaboration or feedback. Other ways to get involved include becoming a contributor to Credentialing Insights. (More information can be found here.)

If you find value in a program, article or white paper, please let others know in your organization and in your network; we encourage you to post on social media when you discover an I.C.E. resource that solved a problem for you. You can also contribute to the I.C.E. community by submitting a proposal for the 2022 I.C.E. Exchange, taking place in October in Savannah, Georgia. The submission deadline will be in March 2022.

As we enter 2022, I.C.E. remains focused on enhancing and sharing the expertise of members by creating opportunities to learn about credentialing best practices. We also intend to grow in membership in order to widen the community and elevate the level of rigor and excellence of all professional certification programs. When I.C.E. grows, you grow.