CACM Brings Certification Courses to California State University, Fullerton

Program will introduce community association management career to students and attract new talent to the industry.

“This partnership with CACM will create more career training opportunities in the fields of homeowner, condominium, and community association management.

said Joe Shapiro, Associate Vice President, Extension and International Programs, California State University Fullerton

BY LYNETTE BERTRAND, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, CACM

It’s been months in the making, but at last, CACM’s certification courses are now being offered through California State University Fullerton’s Extension and International Programs department, opening the door to a whole new pool of talent for the industry.

Starting with the Spring 2022 term, students are able to enroll in the Community Association Management Certificate Program. The program will provide the critical tools to effectively manage a common interest development (CID) in the state of California. It will also offer a solid base of knowledge in the areas of compliance to California law regarding independent contractors, proposals and contracts, and property risk management.

The courses, which include Basics of Association Management, Foundational Ethics for Community Managers and California Law Series, are being offered virtually through Zoom. The first course will be offered on March 1. All courses are being taught by the same instructors who have taught them for CACM.

Upon completing the online program, students will receive a certificate from California State University, Fullerton’s Extension Program. After six months of on-the-job training, certificate graduates can apply for CACM’s Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM) certification.

Tom Freeley, CEO of CACM, shares, “Our industry provides excellent career opportunities and has proven to be recession-proof. However, one of the biggest challenges we keep hearing from management company executives is the lack of qualified candidates. We expect that this program will expose more students to this exciting and rewarding career path that remains unknown to most of the population and serve as a funnel for new talent.”

California has more than 54,000 homeowners associations. The number continues to increase every year as common interest developments grow in popularity, creating the need for more certified community managers that understand the functions and responsibilities involved in managing them.

“CSUF Extension & International Programs are thrilled to partner with the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) to provide a quality professional development program that adds to the workforce’s ability to meet the needs of our county, region, state, and localities. This partnership with CACM will create more career training opportunities in the fields of homeowner, condominium, and community association management,” said Joe Shapiro, Associate Vice President, Extension and International Programs, California State University Fullerton.

CSUF Extension & International Programs provides a diverse portfolio of programs and services designed to meet the changing needs of local, regional, and international constituencies in collaboration with the university and community partners. Its professional development programs are created with the campus, community and businesses needs in mind.

CSUF Extension provides pathways for people to change or advance their careers, learn new skills and ultimately move forward in their life and career goals. It offers an array of certificates to choose from in the fields of business, crime and forensics, legal, technology and engineering, and education.

California State University’s Fullerton campus is the largest university in the CSU and the only campus in Orange County. Cal State Fullerton offers 110 degree programs, and Division 1 athletics. Its vibrant and diverse campus is a primary driver of workforce and economic development in the region.

The university is marketing the new Community Association Management Certificate Program to business and economics major graduates as well as graduates of its extension programs in project management and business analysis through email and social media campaigns as well as on its main campus calendar.

More details on the program can be found here: https://extension.fullerton.edu/ professionaldevelopment/certificates/cam

INSTRUCTORS FOR COURSES AT CAL STATE FULLERTON

CANG LE, ESQ., Partner, Tinnelly Law Group

JOHN CLIGNY, CAMEX, CCAM-HR, Association Consulting Group

DARREN SHAW, CAMEX, MCAM-LS.AA, DC Ranch Association

KIMBERLEY FLICKNER, CCAM-PM, Bay Area Property Services

KEITH LAVERY, CCAM, Associa – Desert Resort Management

MARGO CRUMMACK, CAMEX, CCAM-ND, Crummack Huseby Property Management, Inc.

CORINNE CRAWFORD, CAMEX, CCAM-ND, Powerstone Property Management, ACMC

KAREN CONLON, MCAM, Sequoia Grove Consulting, Inc.

JENNIFER LEANOS, CCAM, Century Hill Association

JEREMY WILSON, CAMEX, CCAM, Associa PCM

MARK GUITHUES, ESQ., Community Legal Advisors, Inc.

TIM FLANAGAN, ESQ., Flanagan Law, APC

A.J. JAHANIAN, ESQ., Beaumont Tashjian

ED SZAKY, CAMEX, CCAM, Matrix Association Management, ACMC

Word From The Instructors

“Although homeowners associations are by some estimates a nearly 14 billion dollar industry, not much is discussed or taught about the industry, their operations, standards, or laws. There are no majors or established college courses about homeowners associations. So rather than leave it up to Geico commercials and the media to explain these associations, I hope and believe these courses at CSUF will give students a real-world perspective and lessons on how these associations operate and that they can have fulfilling and lasting careers in the industry. Homeowners associations impact millions of residents in California and other states and I hope these courses will have everlasting impacts on the students and the industry to establish a body of scholars,standards and educators to improve on how they function and the people that serve these communities.”

– Cang Le, Esq., Partner, Tinnelly Law Group

“The opportunity to teach the BAM courses through CSUF extension is exciting because it hopefully will introduce the idea of community management to an entirely new audience that may not even be aware of this career path. It hopefully will attract eager new talent and get them excited about a career in community management. I typically use the experiences and insight from the students to illustrate certain points and concepts but because the students in these classes are not yet working in the industry, I think this will change my approach. I will cover some of the information in the courses more slowly with a focus on how to be successful in this career and try to get the participants to evaluate their own skill set and how it might match what is required of a community manager.”

– Corinne Crawford, CAMEx, CCAM-ND, Powerstone Property Management, ACMC

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity for our industry! I look forward to broadening the opportunities in this rewarding career to a new diverse audience. This will open a whole new prospective for our industry into the future. Providing a reference point to other industries will be important to provide context for many of the participants as well as provide some real-world experiences to the course material will assist in conveying the opportunities and rewards available in our industry.”

– Keith Lavery, CCAM, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Associa – Desert Resort Management

“This is an outstanding introduction to the legal and practical aspects of operating California’s more than 50,000 owners associations. Whether you want professional training and a certificate, or simply insight into your own community association, this program will provide a fun and entertaining overview of the industry as a whole, its management companies, and their relationship with the owners.”

– Mark Guithues, Esq., Community Legal Advisors, Inc.