What Role Does your Public Member Play?

Should your certification board have a seat reserved for a public member? The answer is yes for a number of reasons. Accrediting bodies, like the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), require it. Public members are also becoming both more common and more important in the corporate and non-profit worlds.

The public member represents the best interests of—you guessed it—the public. Even with this simple explanation of what role they play, there is still confusion on what a public member is, what they are not, how your board can benefit from one (even if you are not seeking accreditation), and the qualities you should look for in a director to fill this position.

Let’s start with the basics. What is a public member? The NCCA’s Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs (Standards) defines a public member as:

A representative of the consumers of services provided by a defined certificant population serving as a voting member of the governing body of a certification program. (NCCA Standards, 2003)

Public members bring a unique perspective to the board room table; one that is valuable when you consider that the other board members are typically industry insiders. Often public members play one or more of the following roles:

• Advocate for the views of the users of your certificants’ services
• Advocate for the interests of the general public (especially in areas where public protection/safety is involved)
• Add new perspectives to board discussions that are free of industry or insider bias
• Keep the board’s activities in check by providing some balance between filling the needs of certificants and providing public protection

For a Board to receive the full benefit of a public member’s participation, they should be given the same responsibilities as any other director. They should be allowed to vote (the NCCA Standards require this) and participate fully in all Board discussion and activities. If you are willing to do this, you can benefit from a public member.

Not only will the users of your certificant’s services gain representation in your organization, but with the right public member your Board will have a unique opportunity to learn and grow. The process of educating a public member about your industry and your organization will raise questions that will make the Board examine the “how and why” behind what they do in ways that they haven’t before. A public member can really challenge any “We’ve Always Done It That Way” thinking that exists in your organization.

If you are interested in adding a public member seat, what do you look for? Initially you should identify candidates that have at one time used your certificants services or who have a background in public advocacy. Your public member candidates should not have the same, or similar, credentials as your certificants. To clarify, let’s look at an example. If you are an organization that certifies personal fitness trainers your public member could be someone that is client of a personal trainer. Or, they could be someone who has served as a public advocate on a local, state or federal level.

Public members can be many things depending on the nature of your credential, but if you are planning to apply for NCCA accreditation, what they cannot be is:

• A current or previous member of the profession (i.e. they are not a certified personal trainer using our example above)
  
• An employer or employee of individuals in the profession (i.e. they could not be an owner of a gym or health club such as Gold’s Gym or Bally’s)
  
• An employee of an individual certified by the organization (i.e. they could not work for a personal trainer)
  
• An employee of any certification organization
  
• Cannot currently be deriving more than 5% of their total salary from the profession or have done so in the last 5 years (i.e. if the candidate receives more than 5% of their salary from fees related to personal training they are not eligible)
  
• Worked for or provided consulting services to the certifying agency (i.e. they cannot be one of your employees, your organization’s attorney or accountant, or a consultant for your organization)
  

(Source: NCCA Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs)

What qualities should you look for in a public member? Make sure that the candidate understands what you will require of them in terms of time commitment, meeting attendance and travel, roles and responsibilities, and general procedures. Like other directors, they should be willing to speak up and deliver an opinion in front of industry leaders. The goal is to have them actively serve on this board as other volunteer leaders would. What other characteristics has your organization identified for a public member?

Finding a qualified public member is not always an easy task, but good starting points include organizations like the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) and the Citizen Advocacy Center (CAC) for more information. Also look for community leaders, board members of local non profits, or other people active in volunteer roles in the community. Where else have you found qualified public members?