Christine Niero

Dr. Niero is the Vice President, Professional Certification and Client Development, and heads the Washington D.C. office for Professional Testing, Inc. Dr. Niero is a senior executive who brings over twenty years of experience in credentialing and non-profit management with a record of highly successful client outcomes. Dr. Niero has demonstrated skills and expertise in developing and implementing viable credentialing programs, policy development, establishing operational and governance structures, optimizing management functions, leadership development, strategic planning, standard setting and accreditation. Dr. Niero is an astute team builder, skilled leader and facilitator with the ability to bring together diverse perspectives.  

Dr. Niero has directed certification programs national in scope and at entry and advanced/specialty levels. Her expertise in credentialing and management has enabled certification programs to sustain significant growth and earn industry recognition. Dr. Niero's experiences also include representing certification at the level of federal policy and governance, as well as at the state level of recognizing and utilizing professional certification programs. Dr. Niero participated in the recent pilot project launching the new accreditation standards for certificate programs, ASTM E 2659 – 09 Standard Practice for Certificate Program, adopted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).  Dr. Niero served as the primary liaison to a pilot  certificate program which was one of the first to achieve accreditation by ANSI under the ASTM E 2659 standard.

A recognized leader, Dr. Niero frequently provides presentations on the topic of certification, and has presented at major industry meetings such as the Association of Test Publishers, (ATP), the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), the Council on Licensure Enforcement and Regulation (CLEAR), the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE), and the Metropolitan DC area Certification Networking Group.

Dr. Niero serves as the Vice Chair of the Personnel Certification Accreditation Committee (PCAC) for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) world standard for personnel certification, ISO/IEC 17024. Dr. Niero is well versed in the development and implementation of accreditation standards and the establishment of best certification practices for credentialing boards. Dr. Niero is a public member on the Board of Directors for the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers, Professional Certification Committee. Dr. Niero currently serves as Vice Chair of the Conference Committee for the Association of Test Publishers (ATP). She is a member of the ASAE Consultants Section Council and past member of the ASAE Professional Development Committee, and the former Chair of the Steering Committee of the Metropolitan D.C. Certification Networking Group. Dr. Niero served as an officer on the Board of Directors of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) and chaired the Task Force on Recognition for the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, which recognizes specialized accrediting agencies.

Richard Bar, ESQ.

Richard Bar has been practicing for more than 20 years. He is a partner with the Washington D.C. law firm, GKG Law, P.C. His firm is counsel to more than 75 trade and professional associations, societies and certification boards. Mr. Bar advises clients in all areas of the law, including specialization in the certification and credentialing areas. He is a contributing writer for Association Trends and frequent speaker and trainer for the American Society of Association Execu¬tives, the National Organization for Competency Assurance and the Certification Networking Group. He has been named among the top lawyers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by Washingtonian Magazine.

Glenn Tecker

Glenn Tecker is President and Chief Executive Officer of Tecker Associates LLC., a consulting practice that has worked with thousands of organizations and associations internationally. He has been described as a "true visionary" with a track record of "successfully foreseeing patterns of strategic importance affecting entire fields and enabling organizations that serve them to more confidently prepare for the future. Association Management Magazine has referenced him as a "lighthouse thinker" and one of fifty people who have made a lasting difference to their discipline. The American Society of Association Executives awarded him with the "Academy of Leaders Award" – the highest possible recognition awarded by their Board of Directors. He is also Co-Author of three bestselling books: The Will to Govern Well-Knowledge, Trust and Nimbleness, Building Knowledge Based Culture, Using 21st Century Work and Decision Making Systems in Associations and Successful Association Leadership Dimensions of 21st Century Competence for the CEO.M