Message from Connie Lee, 2021 Commission Chair

Greetings from CEA. It’s my honor to serve as CEA’s chair as we continue to work to overcome the many challenges present in the field today with resilience and creativity. This issue of News from CEA reports on several projects that have been undertaken and accomplished during 2021. As CEA’s chair, I’ve continued to work with my Commission colleagues and CEA staff to navigate the virtual environment we’ve all become accustomed to. This year, all Commission meetings have been held virtually, and the Commission has accomplished all of its regular tasks in addition to some exciting work for CEA’s future. In addition to holding regular annual orientation of new commissioners and the full Commission, the Commission has continued to make accreditation decisions, and review compliance reports as well as holding professional development sessions and committee meetings according to schedule. Though we hope to convene in person later this year for our December meeting, we continue to closely monitor the ongoing situation to see whether that will be possible.

CEA’s dedicated reviewer pool has continued to conduct site visits according to the Section 23 Temporary Policy Adaptations enacted by the Commission last year in June 2020. Though there are some in-person visits scheduled in the remainder of 2021, the Hybrid Site Visit policy, which allows for a virtual review, will stay in place until rescinded or revoked by the Commission. These policies have allowed the Commission to support accredited sites by allowing extensions of eligibility during prolonged periods of non-operation as well as extensions of time to complete the reaccreditation self-study and site visit process if needed.

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