PPB August 2018

PPAI Names Natalie Clark Director Of Membership Services PPAI has promoted Natalie Clark to director of membership services. Clark joined the Association in September 2013 as manager of membership services. Since then, she has played a decisive role in several of PPAI’s initiatives, including the implementation of the PPAI Associate Program and the PPAI Industry Directory, and assumed responsibility for the Association’s Affinity Programs. PPB recently spoke with Clark on her new position and her expectations for the role. PPB: What excites you about your new position within the Association? Natalie Clark: What excites me the most is the increased engagement with PPAI and the board leadership; to better understand the industry from their perspective and bring that knowledge back to the membership services team. I’m a strong believer in change management and strategic alignment, so having a seat at the table to help my team evolve is exciting to me. PPB: In your view, how does your position fit within PPAI’s goal of serving its members? Clark: My position serves members by evaluating new membership trends, best practices and statistics to determine direction. I rely on my experience, staff and counterparts in other departments to develop new programs or technology to best serve our members. My goal is to attempt to put myself in our members shoes, to build the best experience from their perspective. I hope to continually make improvements to meet the PPAI goal of serving members. PPB: Outside of PPAI, what are your interests? Clark: My interests are pretty simple. Aside from my husband and daughters, who keep me grounded, happy and laughing, I really love my cats. I also enjoy getting in the car and going somewhere with the tunes up and windows down. Road trips create beautiful memories. PPAI Launches Certification ProgramUpdates PPAI has updated its professional certification program to better engage and support industry professionals in the pursuit of continuous improvement and education. The changes to the program are designed with a focus on learning and testing on specific content, and on the pursuit of electives that best suit professionals’ specific learning needs. PPAI’s updated Trained Advertising Specialist (TAS) and Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) programs are available now, and the updated Master Advertising Specialist program will be available this fall. The Master Advertising Specialist Plus (MAS+) program remains unchanged. Updates to the TAS certificate include the adoption of a set of dedicated courses with a short quiz after each course, which are available as a package on PPAI’s online education platform. The TAS certificate is now required to pursue the CAS, although a fast-track option is available for industry veterans who want to move past the TAS. Because it is a certificate of completion, rather than a certification, the TAS does not require recertification. The CAS is also now composed of dedicated courses that provide roughly 25 dedicated credits. Each course includes a quiz taken upon completion of the course through the online education platform. Candidates can take the quizzes at any time. No paper or online proctored exams are offered with the new program. CAS candidates are required to complete 25 additional credits of elective CAS/MAS courses that will be followed by a survey rather than a quiz, and which can be taken through the online education platform or at live events. Industry veterans who want to move through the CAS program quickly can pursue a fast-track option. CAS-certified industry professionals must complete 25 CAS/MAS credits and submit a recertification application every three years. More information on the certification program can be found on PPAI’s website at www.ppai.org/ members/certification/. For additional information or to ask questions, email certification@ppai.org . Natalie Clark 80 | AUGUST 2018 | CONNECT