ACTHA Offers Certification Program for Community Associations

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by Wendell A.LaGrand

The Association of Condominium Townhouse and Homeowner Association will host a Learning to Lead: ACTHA Certified Leader program beginning Thursday, September 9 for six consecutive weeks.

The program has been around for 5 years and has over 100 graduates says ACTHA Executive Director, Gale Mennecke, adding that the event was designed to provide individuals with basic information about the main elements of leadership.

For example, Mennecke says, a Bronzeville woman that participated in a past program as a homeowner, completed the certification, and since that time she has become a property manager and she encourages others to take the course.

The event, which will be held at Northeastern Illinois University, 700 East Oakwood Blvd. in Chicago, from 6:30 to 8:30p.m, is a certification program designed to increase knowledge of proven practices used by successful community associations. Certification is valid for five years.

Participants receive a solid foundation of fundamentals in the multiple disciplines related to community association administration, governance and communication, according to Mennecke.

The certification will also keep you abreast of current laws affecting associations if you own property in a community association, provide services to associations and want to learn how associations and providers cooperate as partners to further association goals, she says.

With home ownership being one of the biggest investments many people ever make, protecting that investment is essential. ACTHA leaders designed the certification program with that in mind, Mennecke said.

Participants can learn what board members need to know about government documents, how it relates to state and federal laws; administration, what board members are responsible for; notification requirements; how to do proxies work, what are owners entitled to and an owners voting power, says Mennecke.

Those are the skills and tools to make you a more respected and influential leader, she says.

The concise, comprehensive and advanced program is designed for individuals who

currently serve on community association boards and wish to broaden their knowledge, or are considering running for a board position. According to Mennecke, the program is

also for individuals; who want to demonstrate their qualifications, or want to be able to work knowledgeably with professional service providers, such as attorneys, engineers, contractors, city inspectors, property managers, accountants, auditors, and insurance agents.

In addition, the program consists of six modules: governance, administration, meeting and elections, financial, physical aspects and insurance and risk management.

A lot of times people come into community associations and may not realize what their responsibility is, she adds.

The idea is to make sure that individuals have that knowledge, Mennecke stated.

Its important to complete the series because you want to be knowledgeable, about your legal and fiduciary responsibilities. You want to make sure your investment is protected. Having a board member that is apathetic is not where you want to be, she says.

The Learn and Lead program, when successfully completed leads to an ACTHA Certified Leader credential, the first of its kind nationally. Director and officer liability are covered in the sessions. The program was created by individuals in the community association industry, all of them ACTHA commercial members who believe trained association leaders, in partnership

with a professional team of attorneys, property managers, bankers, contractors and more, can further the goals of community associations.

The association will also host a seminar on How to Conduct a One Hour Board Meeting on Saturday, September 11 from 9 to10:30 a.m. at the Alsip Village Hall, 4500 W. 123rd Street. For more information, call 312-987-1906 or visit www.acthc.org.

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