By David Johnson, ACPE President

Recently the board voted to suspend the voting on individuals who are meeting a sub-committee to be certified supervisor.  There has been a lot of electronic chatter about the process the board followed.  It had been my hope that I would be writing an article of celebration rather than an article of explanation.  There is much concern that we did not give the membership an opportunity to give feedback about the decision.  The decision that was made to suspend the vote was a policy decision.  Policy decisions are the purview of the board.  The decision to suspend the vote did not affect our Standards therefore, it was decided that there was not a need for a public review now.

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The Rev. Gene Robinson has resigned as chair of the Accreditation Commission due to his responsibilities at Emory University, Center for Pastoral Services, in Atlanta, GA.  On February 17, 2014, the ACPE Board of Representatives approved the election of Rabbi Ruth Alpers to the term of 2014-2016.  Gene will continue to serve the association in an At-Large position on the commission.

Ruth has served on the Accreditation Commission since 2009.  She was elected as Chair-Elect in 2013.  She is an ACPE Supervisor at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH.

As most of you know, contributions to the annual campaign help fund operations but did you also know that 20% of the amount raised provides seed money for innovative CPE programs?

Last year, ACPE was able to award $17,000 for program grants from funds raised in the 2012 annual fund campaign.  ACPE will again be able to make grants to a few programs from a portion of the funds raised in 2013.  As we prepare to kick off our 2014 campaign, we are not only hoping to reach our goal of 100% participation but also to raise more funds to increase the amount ACPE can award to these pioneering programs.

Conference Strategic Initiative Task Force

The Conference Strategic Initiative Task Force is working to define the mission, vision, and objectives of the national conference and other ACPE hosted/sponsored events, as well as to clarify the role of the National Conference Committee.  A survey conducted in the fall of 2013 of the membership will guide their work.  They will meet in Decatur, GA, March 8-10, 2014, for a face-to-face meeting.  Proposals and recommendations will be presented to the board at its May meeting.  Please send your comments and questions to John Pumphrey, Chair.

Certification Process Task Force

The Certification Process Task Force's purpose is to implement the goals of the strategic plan and to explore many of the recommendations for streamlining the certification process that have been explored over the last several years.  The Task Force is currently collating and analyzing the feedback it received regarding its recent recommendation implemented by the board.  The Task Force meets again on March 3, 2014.  Email your thoughts and comments to Peter Keese, Chair.

Click here to see complete rosters of each task force

The Office of Private Sector Exchange of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State, notified the ACPE that as part of the Department of State's continued efforts to monitor the J-1 Exchange Visitor Program, it will be conducting field site visits beginning this March 2014 for both Intern and Trainee participants.  Please be aware that Private Sector Exchange staff members may be visiting various sites across the country and interviewing participants. 

Click here for more information

Effective June 30, 2014 members of ACPE will no longer have access to The Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling as a member benefit of ACPE.  ACPE has withdrawn its membership from JPCP Inc.

ACPE members may subscribe individually to JPC&C at http://journals.sfu.ca/jpcp/.  The cost is $40US a year.  ACPE members who subscribe by September 15, 2014 will receive access for the balance of 2014 through to the end of 2015 (i.e. an 18 month subscription for the cost of a 12-month subscription).

By Trace Haythorn, Executive Director

The season of transition continues in the national office. We are delighted to welcome Clark Goss to our staff as our new Communications and Conference Coordinator.  Clark is a recent graduate of the University of Georgia and will be a key team player in our redevelopment of the website, improvements to our conference registration and planning, and general support for the Academy.

We are saddened to say farewell to two long-term employees, Beverly Shinholster and Ethelin Reynolds, who are no longer with the national office.

We are also planning to hire a new Accreditation Manager by the end of March.  We are grateful to Jerry Williamson for her ongoing work in accreditation, including her willingness to help staff the national meeting in May.

View a staff directory