Member Spotlight: Advance Your Career with Designations

From day one, credit professionals are constantly improving their skills and expanding their knowledge in the B2B credit industry. But on-the-job learning can only take them so far. By earning designations through NACM's Professional Certification Program, credit professionals have the chance to stand out from others and perfect their skills.

Kelly Herms, CBF, CCRA, credit and collections at KHS America, Inc. (Mount Juliet, TN) is one of the many credit professionals who earned her Certified Credit and Risk Analyst (CCRA) designation in order to further her professional credit career.

"I had already taken several of the required courses for the CBA and CBF designations in college," Herms said. "But I decided to pursue these designations since they were more industry specific than the college courses, which were more generalized. Once I completed those, I decided to pursue my CCRA designation."

The COVID-19 lockdown delayed Herms' journey, but she was able to earn the designation last year. "I eventually made it to NACM National home offices in November 2022 and successfully passed the course. It honestly felt so great."

After earning her CCRA designation, Herms learned new financial analysis skills which she was able to use immediately upon return to her office. "I use this type of information every day," Herms said. "The advanced course taught by an excellent teacher and industry credit leader was extremely beneficial for my credit career." Not to mention, Herms made new friends in the class from different industries and managed to stay in contact. "We bounced ideas off of one another and I loved that!"

For more information about each designation within NACM's Professional Certification Program, visit our website.