by Ronald R. Sussman, TMA President
Aug 24, 2012
(TMA International Headquarters)
We are in the midst of what is shaping up to be a terrific year for TMA. We have made tremendous strides in addressing important objectives of our organization, and I am excited about the progress we’ve made toward introducing meaningful new programs and services that will provide even greater value to our members.
Global leadership is committed to enhancing TMA’s professional educational offerings and ensuring that effective programs are available to members of all disciplines and at all phases in their careers. Toward that end, the approval of bylaws changes regarding the Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP) program by the Certification Oversight Committee (COC) last month was a significant step toward invigorating and enhancing the CTP brand and raising the program to new levels of success as the premiere certification program to be attained by turnaround managers.
Another significant step in the development of comprehensive educational offerings for TMA members occurred earlier this year, when the Cornerstone Council approved a grant request from the Education Oversight Committee (EOC) for more than $200,000 to fund curriculum development and program delivery. The EOC’s goal is to create an education system that helps members achieve professional excellence and further establishes TMA as the go-to organization for professional development, both within the CTP community and the restructuring industry as a whole.
As envisioned by the EOC, courses developed for our members “will focus on the comprehension, implementation, and management of accounting rules, fiduciary obligations, insolvency processes, transactions, strategic influence, and operational changes that drive turnaround efforts.” Course content will be tailored to TMA’s various constituencies, including turnaround managers, professionals who service the turnaround and restructuring management community, and attorneys, and may involve partnering with peer organizations, such as the American Bankruptcy Institute, to develop specialized professional offerings under the TMA umbrella.
These exciting developments are occurring at a particularly opportune time in view of the success of NexGen programs at the global, regional, and chapter levels. More than 600 new members have joined our ranks in the past year under TMA’s NexGen special new-member rate, and 850 members regularly take advantage of NexGen programming at the global, regional, chapter levels — that’s about 10 percent of our total membership. Combined with the continuing growth in our individual membership as well as our network of chapters outside of North America, TMA is well-positioned for future success across the globe as we approach our 25th anniversary in 2013.
Our new CEO, Gregory J. Fine, CAE, hit the ground running when he came aboard in December and has done a great job of reshaping our professional staff in Chicago and reinvigorating how they support existing and developing programs at the chapter, regional, and global levels. Some of those efforts were on display last month at the 2012 Spring Conference in Atlanta. New member experiences, such as the Taste of Atlanta, featuring regional specialties by Atlanta-area chefs, and TMA After Dark sparked new interest and helped build momentum toward the 2012 Annual Convention in Boston November 1-3, when even more changes to our traditional conference structure will be introduced.
I am pleased by the progress we’ve made this year and look forward to the coming months, when much of the hard work by our volunteers and staff will produce demonstrable results. High-quality education and networking are critical to our mission of providing exceptional value to our members, and I am confident that we are moving in the right direction.