Strategically designing credentials that matter
Credentialing Academy helps nonprofits and mission-driven organizations craft learning strategies and credentialing pathways that establish real meaningful value. We bring expertise in credentialing design, accreditation support, and fractional leadership to strengthen your mission.
Learning Anchored
in Purpose
Services
Credentialing + learning strategy that moves people forward
Credentialing Academy delivers credentialing and learning solutions that align people development with organizational goals. With decades of experience in learning and development, credentialing, and association leadership, the practice supports nonprofits and community-driven organizations in building programs that validate skills, foster mobility, and create measurable impact.
Every strategy is grounded in human-centered design and anchored in purpose to create credentialing pathways that are meaningful, credible, and transformative.
Credentialing Design
Credentialing product design & development with specialized expertise in assessment-based certificate (ABC) programs, professional certificate programs, and microcredentials. Emphasis on portfolio architecture for stacking credentials, psychometrically sound assessment design, and robust administrative policies, with careful consideration of accreditation standards and certification firewalls.
Strategic Consultation
Strategic consultation that integrates customer insights, credentialing expertise, and organizational priorities to guide clients from high-level strategy through practical implementation. This approach ensures every decision is informed and designed for measurable impact.
Accreditation Support
Benchmarking credentials against NCCA, ICE 1100, ASTM E-2659, and IACET standards to evaluate accreditation readiness. Support includes managing the full accreditation and managing the accreditation process on behalf of the organization.
Credentialing Support
End-to-end credentialing support including onboarding new staff and volunteers, facilitating training and workshops on credentialing best practices, presenting credentialing trends to Boards, and coaching professionals to strengthen industry presence. This builds confident teams and sustainable credentialing operations.
Fractional Leadership
Targeted, executive-level leadership to shape credentialing strategy, drive cross-functional alignment, and accelerate execution across the organization.
Real results, Trusted by leaders
Organizations across industries rely on our work because we bring clarity, strategy, and measurable transformation to every project.
“Supremely talented, dedicated to her craft, passionate and committed to collective and individual success, always ready and able to drive transformation and innovation, and demonstrating high character in everything she does…”
Brian Greenwald
Brand Visionary | Ecosystem Builder
"She is the creative thinker who is attentive to detail and will get things done. Bobbi's rich experience with learning design, change management, design thinking, coaching and facilitation, and her thirsty free spirit are must have assets for any business or organization today.”
Iva Sladic Keco
Collaboration Designer | Strategic facilitator
Areas of Expertise
Strategic Capabilities
Expertise rooted at the intersection of learning, credentialing, and human resources, strengthening your organization’s talent development ecosystem.
Credentialing Strategy & Portfolio Architecture
Designing cohesive credentialing pathways that validate learning, skills, and professional growth.
Accreditation Benchmarking & Readiness
Evaluating programs against industry standards and guiding organizations through the accreditation process.
Organizational Change & Resiliency
Improving processes, communication, and culture to support sustainable, people-centered change.
Skills Frameworks & Achievement Architecture
Building skill libraries and digital credentialing systems that validate competency, capability, and proficiency.
Learning Experience & Instructional Design
Creating purposeful learning experiences that elevate competency, engagement, and outcomes. All learning can be credentialed.
About
Bobbi Vernon builds better credentials
With more than three decades in learning, credentialing, and association management, Bobbi helps organizations design purposeful, defensible, and scalable credentialing programs. Known for her clarity, insight, and steady guidance, she brings deep experience in assessment-based certificates, microcredentials, accreditation readiness, and instructional design. She supports mission-driven teams as they navigate the complex work of building programs that truly matter.
She specializes in:
Credentialing strategy and portfolio architecture
Accreditation benchmarking and readiness
Learning experience and instructional design
Skills frameworks and achievement architecture
Organizational change and resiliency
Professional Achievements
Accolades & Industry Contributions
Bobbi’s contributions reflect a lifelong dedication to strengthening credentialing practices through certified expertise, volunteer service, conference presentations, workshops, publications, and ongoing thought leadership.
ICE-CCP Certification
One of the first to earn the ICE-CCP (certified credentialing professional) designation; successfully renewed in 2025
ATD Expert Coach
ATD Expert Coach designation.
Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner
Earned the Prosci® Certified Change Practitioner designation.
Certificate Accreditation Program Accreditation Committee (CAPAC)
Accredit certificate issuers according to ASTM E-2659, Standard for Certificate Programs.
Volunteer Service Highlight – LinkedIn National Volunteer Week
Volunteer service highlighted on LinkedIn as part of National Volunteer Week.
Outreach Facilitator for Instructional Designers
Facilitate strategic conversations to onboard instructional designers to credentialing.
IACET Council on Standards Development (ICSD)
Develop and maintain quality standards for continuing education and training.
Branding Architecture Advisory
Participated in the rebranding of I.C.E.
ICE 1100 Standard Revision
Editorial committee member for the revision of the ICE 1100 Standard.
ICE 1100 Standard Revision
Contributed to the revision of the ICE 1100: 2019 Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs.
Accreditation Services Council
Served as the ACAC component representative.
Assessment-Based Certificate Accreditation Council (ACAC)
Accredited assessment-based certificate programs according to the ICE 1100 Standard as an instructional design reviewer.
Assessment-Based Certificate Accreditation Council (ACAC)
Chaired the ACAC Council.
Assessment-Based Certificate Accreditation Program (ACAP) Workshop Series
Designed and delivered a 3-part ACAP workshop series.- Credential Classification Workshop- The ABCs of ABC Programs- ICE 1100 Standard & ACAP Accreditation (Coming 2026)
ICE-CCP Prep Course (design only)
Led the design of the ICE-CCP prep course.
Credentialing 101: An Immersive Learning Experience
Full-day, in-person workshop co-facilitated with a psychometrician. Designed to teach credentialing fundamentals and differentiate credential types. Includes hands-on activities in support of four learning objectives: define credential types, compare/contrast credential characteristics, explain credential development processes, and design credential prototypes.
The Modern Learning Ecosystem: A Skills-First Movement
Covered credential types, psychometric basics, skills mapping, and how skills as a currency translate into modern credential design.
Organized Chaos: Credentials, Skills & Validating Ongoing Competency
Explored credentialing types, data-driven assessment design, and the interoperability of reporting skill acquisition across ecosystems.
You Are Here: A Low-Tech Roadmap for Navigating Modern Credentials
Active discussion on supporting credentialing bodies with tools and frameworks for navigating Learning & Employment Record (LER) technologies.
Creating a Skills-Driven Learning Continuum
Highlighted the role of Learning & Employment Records (LERs), digital credentials, rich skill descriptors (RSDs), and skills-based learning pathways across the talent pipeline.
Holding Continuing Ed to a Higher Standard: How to Design High-Integrity Learning Events
Panel discussion addressing risk management, regulation, and learning design considerations for high-integrity continuing education.
The Business of Certificate, Microcredential & Professional Education Programs
Discussed credential types, learning pathways, and skill mapping across the talent pipeline; emphasized learner centricity, validating skill proficiency, and learning & employment records (LERs) using verified digital credentials.
Establishing a New Credential: Lessons Learned from Developing the ICE-CCP
Facilitated a roundtable on exam prep, credential architecture, and maintaining the NCCA firewall for certification programs.
The Modern Learning Ecosystem: The Engine to Credentialing Success
Showcased how intentional learning ecosystem design supports robust credentialing strategies while preserving the NCCA firewall.
The ABCs of ABC Accreditation: Best Practices in Assessment-Based Certificate Program Design
Highlighted ABC programs’ distinct role in credentialing, pathway alignment, and designing ABCs to the ICE 1100 Standard.
Everything You Ever Wanted (or Need) to Know About Instructional Design
Introduced certification professionals to instructional design fundamentals, collaboration strategies, and how ID enhances credentialing portfolios.
Building Bridges to Create an Inclusive Pathway for Untapped Subject Matter Experts
Supported delivery of the Advocates, Allies, and Collaborators Framework workshop on creating an inclusive and psychologically safe environment for SMEs. Content creation attributed to Shelly McDowell-Porter https://www.linkedin.com/in/smcdowell-porter/
Instructional Design: Architecting a Learning and Credentialing Continuum
Explored how instructional design supports a longitudinal credentialing strategy that aligns with ever-changing industry demands in the data center sector. The focus is building a credentialing continuum from workforce readiness to professional certification.
More Than a Pretty Course: Leveraging Instructional Design to Create an Assessment Continuum
Covered the role of instructional designers in strengthening the assessment continuum, increasing data output, and enhancing credentialing portfolios.
Credentialing Topics for Freelance Instructional Designers
Occasional sessions on credentialing topics and best practices for freelance instructional designers.
The Spamming of Certification
Introduced L&D professionals to credentialing fundamentals, psychometrics, and the misuse of “certifications” as a learning product.
Instructional Design 101: Making Sense of What Instructional Design Is by Debunking What It’s Not
Webinar addressing misconceptions about instructional design and highlighting methodologies that support effective learning design.
The Five Most Frequent Problem Areas with ACAP Applications
Contributing author to an analysis of recurring issues encountered in ACAP accreditation applications.
Case Study on the Value of ACAP Accreditation
Authored a case study highlighting the value and outcomes of ACAP accreditation.
I.C.E. Podcast #6: Assessment-Based Certificate Accreditation
Podcast episode discussing the value of ACAP accreditation and the problems often encountered when applying for accreditation.
Contact
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Office
Charlottesville, VA