What should a stakeholder look for in a credential or Board for Certification?
A certification program should provide for Autonomy, Transparency, Accountability, Legal Defensibility, Sustainability and Fiduciary. These five terms suggest compliance with external and internal audit, essentially meeting the needs of all stakeholders. The primary objective of credentialing and certification is to provide all stakeholders, including members of the public, with confidence that an individual that has successfully earned a certification, and claims a level of expertise by virtue of the certification, is credible, verifiably and not misleading as to both their substance and their source. To accomplish this, autonomy in decision making must exist. True autonomy rids a certification program of undue influence so it can effectively serve the stakeholders. Transparency suggests that the credential is visibly credible, void of inappropriate influence or activity from internal or external source, and functions in clear view of all stakeholders. Accountability demonstrates that
