Education is the key to building the future, and NASBP’s Professional Development Committee is the mainspring of surety industry education! The Professional Development Committee members work to identify, plan, teach, and promote the many high-quality professional development education programs that NASBP offers.

The Professional Development Committee advances the knowledge and skills of surety bond professionals by developing and offering professional development and educational programs, including NASBP’s Surety Schools, Virtual Seminars, Workshops, and Online Courses.

• The NASBP William J. Angell Surety School offers expert and comprehensive training for surety professionals with varying levels of knowledge and expertise. This prestigious education program provides an opportunity to establish professional relationships with industry peers. Winter School registration is open now.
• NASBP Virtual Seminars are an economical and effective way for you and your staff to get up-to-the moment information on the issues of the day and hear from experts about items critical to your business success–without anyone having to leave the office. Join the 7,000 participants this year and find out more about upcoming live and recorded Virtual Seminars now (link to https://learn.nasbp.org/nasbp-virtual-seminars).
• NASBP Workshops are in-seat courses designed to give participants in-depth knowledge about such topics as Sales, Leadership, or Commercial Surety.
• NASBP Online Continuing Education (CE) Courses offer surety professionals the opportunity to take four industry-specific online training courses available through the WebCE training portal.

Additionally, the Professional Development Committee has partnered with other NASBP Committees to develop content in specific areas such as Commercial Surety, Industry Relations, and International Surety. While teaching and educating about surety bonding is a primary focus within the Professional Development Committee, we are also charged with being an industry resource that partners with other organizations to review and develop materials that support our industry.  Two great examples are:

• Affiliate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB): The Institutes partnered with NASBP Professional Development and Commercial Surety Committees to provide subject matter experts to review and update the AFSB designation’s materials.  These modifications have begun to roll out.
• Contractor Bonding Education: Through a partnership with SFAA, NASBP’s Professional Development Committee and Small and Emerging Business Committee contributed to the team of subject matter experts developing the new online program designed to help small and emerging contractors determine if surety bonding is for them and, if so, how best to prepare their companies to qualify for their first surety bond. Stay tuned for more information as the course is set to launch later this year.

The NASBP Professional Development Committee Leadership:

“NASBP’s Professional Development Committee enabled me to become deeply involved in the Association and the industry. Through our Association’s offerings, I have been involved as a student, faculty, curriculum developer/reviewer, and volunteer leader. I have made some of my deepest lifetime friends through this group, met some of the finest people from all over the world, and been able to stay abreast of our industry for over three decades, all because of this Committee. It’s no understatement that any success I’ve had within NASBP and the surety industry as a whole is directly related to my involvement with the Professional Development Committee.”–Chair, Matt Cashion, The Cashion Company

“Being a member of Professional Development has been tremendously rewarding both personally and professionally. It never gets old seeing the proverbial light go on for a student while teaching. Additionally, being a member of the teaching fraternity has allowed me to interact with icons of our industry and further my development as a surety professional. “–
Vice-Chair, Michael Baxter, L.A. Surety Solutions – A Division of Alliant Insurance Services

Interested in joining the Professional Development Committee? Please contact the Professional Development Committee staff liaison, Kat Shamapande, Director of Professional Development, at kshamapand@nasbp.org. Fill out the Committee Interest Form. Learn about all of the NASBP Committees here.

This Pipeline article is the fourth in a series describing how NASBP Committees are the cornerstone foundation of the Association. See the CEO Column that introduced this series, which was published in the March/April 2021 issue. See other Pipeline articles that describe the NASBP Industry Relations Committee, Government Relations Committee, and Membership Committee. (NASBP login required.)