ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sixty-one investor relations (IR) professionals have earned the new Investor Relations Charter (IRC™) credential awarded by the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).
Representing the inaugural class of IRC credential holders, these IR professionals successfully completed the first IRC examination offered worldwide in March. They will be honored during the 2016 NIRI Annual Conference in San Diego, California, June 5-8. A complete list of the inaugural March 2016 IRC class is at the end of this news release.
The new IRC Program establishes a common framework to define the profession of investor relations and provides IR professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, expertise, and commitment to the profession. The IRC is NIRI’s first professional credential, and the program is dedicated to advancing the practice of investor relations and the professional competency and stature of IR professionals.
“Congratulations are in order for the inaugural group of investor relations professionals who passed the first IRC exam, and also for the many dedicated volunteers who worked over the years to develop this program,” said NIRI President and CEO Jim Cudahy. “This is the first step in establishing the IRC credential as a mark of distinction that demonstrates an investor relations professional’s commitment to the IR profession.”
Eligibility for the IRC Program includes a minimum of three years’ experience working in investor relations, which proved to be particularly important, according to Bob Burton, Managing Director, Lambert, Edwards & Associates, and NIRI’s Certification Council chair. “Certainly candidates must study the program’s Body of Knowledge document thoroughly,” he said, “but we also heard repeatedly from candidates that the most important preparation for the exam was specific work experience in the field of IR, which was a fundamental intent of the committee as we developed the first set of exam questions.”
To earn and maintain the IRC credential, a candidate must meet educational and professional experience requirements, adhere to the IRC Code of Conduct and to NIRI’s Code of Ethics, pass the IRC exam, and participate in ongoing professional development activities.
The next IRC examination testing window will be September 10 - 17, 2016. The initial application deadline is June 30. Program information and applications are available on the NIRI website: www.niri.org/certification.
Inaugural IRC Class
Matthew C. Abenante, IRC
Karli S. Anderson, IRC
Darin Arita,
IRC
Remy S. Bernarda, IRC
Adam E. Berry, IRC
Clayton W.
Bilby, IRC
Robert H. Bradley, IRC
Shea N. Burden, IRC
Robert
G. Burrows, IRC
Michael P. Dickerson, IRC
Mark J. Donohue, IRC
Jennifer
K. Driscoll, IRC
James W. Duies, IRC
Paul R. Finan, IRC
Gary
Flaharty, IRC
Mark G. Furlong, IRC
Lawrence Goldberg, IRC
James
M. Grant, IRC
Valerie C. Haertel, IRC
Lynn M. Harrison, IRC
Mitchell
J. Haws, IRC
Brandon Hodge, IRC
Cynthia M. Holt, IRC
Charles
S. Ives, IRC
Todd R. James, IRC
William I. Kent, IRC
Karla
J. Kimrey, IRC
Christina L. Kmetko, IRC
Mark P. Kobal, IRC
Heather
A. Kos, IRC
Eric M. Leeds, IRC
Erin Linnihan, IRC
Kathleen
D. Marvin, IRC
Julie D. Mathews, IRC
Joseph M. McCreery, IRC
John
W. Morgan, IRC
Jack E. Nielsen, IRC
Frank B. O’Neil, IRC
Theodore
R. O’Neill, IRC
Jennifer R. Park, IRC
Deborah K. Pawlowski, IRC
Gregory
P. Peterson, IRC
Jennifer Rice, IRC
Lisa A. Rose, IRC
David
A. Rosenbaum, IRC
Peter A. Schuman, IRC
John E. Shave III, IRC
Brian
M. Smith, IRC
Shawn T. Southard, IRC
Michael A. Steele, IRC
Brian
D. Sullivan, IRC
Christopher L. Symanoskie, IRC
Kathleen Till
Stange, IRC
Julie D. Tracy, IRC
Paul M. Vincent, IRC
Stephanie
C. Wakefield, IRC
Joan L. Walter, IRC
Heather J. Wietzel, IRC
Jean
M. Young, IRC
Joshua E. Zable, IRC
Jonathan Zax, IRC
About the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI)
Founded in 1969, NIRI (www.NIRI.org) is the professional association of corporate officers and investor relations consultants responsible for communication among corporate management, shareholders, securities analysts and other financial community constituents. NIRI is the largest professional investor relations association in the world with more than 3,300 members representing over 1,600 publicly held companies and $9 trillion in stock market capitalization.
