CHICAGO (December 23, 2008) – The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc.’s (DANB) Executive Director Cynthia Durley, MEd., MBA received the 2008 National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA) Service Award. NOCA is the national membership association for certification organizations and promotes excellence in credentialing across all professions, worldwide.
Presented on Friday, Nov. 21 at NOCA’s Annual Educational Conference in San Francisco, the Service Award is given to an individual who has displayed exemplary service and commitment to the organization, has facilitated the achievement of the organization’s goals and who has a history of volunteer service in NOCA.
Ms. Durley has been employed in the testing field since 1980, initially working as an instructor of statistics, testing and measurement at Loyola University of Chicago. In addition, she has previously worked in test development for the Academy of General Dentistry, and in test development and curriculum evaluation for the United States Navy. Ms. Durley became the Director of Testing and Measurement for DANB in 1986, a position she held until she was appointed Executive Director in 1996.
In 1999, Ms. Durley was elected as one of 10 Commissioners of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accrediting arm of NOCA. Serving as Co-Chair in 2002 and Chair in 2003 and 2004, Ms. Durley worked to revise NCCA’s national Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs. Ms. Durley concluded her three-year term on NOCA’s Board of Directors by serving as NOCA President in 2006. During her tenure as a NOCA officer, Ms. Durley was primary author of A NOCA Guide to Understanding Credentialing Concepts. She also served on NOCA’s Management Services Committee, which was charged with evaluating the organization’s need for a new Executive Director, and was instrumental in the search and hiring process.
Ms. Durley was nominated for the award by Executive Director of the Oncology Nursing Certification Corporation and NOCA Immediate Past President Cynthia Miller Murphy, RN, MSN, CAE. “I believe Cindy Durley is most deserving of the NOCA Service Award, not because of the long list of committees and other groups to which she has belonged, but because of the tremendous commitment, energy, enthusiasm, diligence, hard work and dedication that she has provided to NOCA in each of the positions that she has held,” Murphy said. “Cindy is a visionary leader and her abilities have greatly benefited NOCA; her service to NOCA has been exemplary in every way.”
Currently, Ms. Durley serves on NOCA’s Leadership Council and NOCA’s Main Committee on Assessment-Based Certificate Program Standards as the Co-Chair of the Work Group on Assessment. She is also a member of the NOCA ISO 17024 Task Force that is looking into standards for international accreditation of certification programs.
“It is a privilege and a pleasure to be involved with NOCA, an organization that promotes excellence in credentialing through education, research, advocacy, accreditation and standards,” Ms. Durley said. “DANB shares NOCA’s vision of ‘excellence,’ and I look forward to our continued relationship in the future.”