NYSSA’s Career Development Committee presents Career Chat: Professional Certifications – How to Stand Out in the Alphabet Soup Determining what step to take next in your professional development, especially with the overwhelming number of financial certifications and designations currently, in the marketplace is a daunting task. Figuring out which qualifications give you the expertise, recognition, and professional prowess needed to further your career requires dedicated research and understanding of the intricacies and recognition of each option.  Join us in learning more about some of the prominent financial certifications that stand out in this alphabet soup.  We will hear from speakers about the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) designation, Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) program, Chartered Market Technician (CMT) certification, and Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. DATE: Monday, September 22, 2008 TIME: 5:30 p.m.-6:15 p.m. | Networking 6:15 p.m.-7:45 p.m. | Presentation LOCATION: NYSSA 1177 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor (between 45th and 46th Streets), NYC(Directions)Photo ID required for access to the building. SPEAKERS: Philip J. Roth, CMT, Chief Technical Market Analyst, Miller Tabak + Co. Michael Robinson, Director of MBA Admissions, Columbia Business School Thomas R. Robinson, PhD, CPA, CFP, CFA, Managing Director, Education Division, CFA Institute Carol Lee Roberts, CFP® Managing Director, Examinations and Education, CFP Board FEES: Members Free | Nonmembers $20 REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Media Partners: Chair Anand G. Shahi, CFP, Merrill Lynch   Speaker Bios Philip J. Roth CMT, is currently the chief technical market analyst at Miller Tabak + Co. He is in his 41st year as a Wall Street professional, having been the chief market technician at Morgan Stanley, Shearson Lehman, EF Hutton, and Loeb Rhodes. He is currently president and a director of the Market Technicians Association and is an adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Business at Fordham University. He is a frequent commentator in the printed and electronic media and has lectured at Baruch, Columbia, Cornell, Georgia Tech, Howard, Rutgers, Tulane, and the University of Richmond.    Dr. Thomas R. Robinson, is managing director of the education division, where he oversees the production and delivery of educational content and examinations for candidates, members, and other investment professionals. He joined CFA Institute as head of educational content in 2007. Previously, Dr. Robinson was an associate professor of accounting and director of the Master of Professional Accounting Program at the University of Miami. He also was managing director of T.R. Robinson & Associates, LLC, an investment advisory firm. He holds a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's and PhD from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Robinson is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and CFA charterholder. He was active locally and nationally as a CFA Institute volunteer prior to joining the staff. Carol Lee Roberts, CFP® has been Managing Director of Examinations and Education at CFP Board since November 5, 2007. Ms. Roberts brings to CFP Board a professional background that encompasses both the practice of financial planning and the administration of financial planning education programs. After working at Merrill Lynch for more than 16 years in a variety of capacities, Ms. Roberts has served the past six years at DePaul University, where she has acted as Program Manger of its Financial Planning Certificate Program and a Director of DePaul’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education. At DePaul, she helped develop the Financial Planning Certificate program into one of the most successful programs offered through the university’s Office of Continuing and Professional Education, for which she also supervised marketing, new program development, corporate sales and web services for all continuing and professional education programs. In her role with CFP Board, Ms. Roberts directs the examination and education components of CFP® certification, which is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. She provides oversight to CFP Board's development of the rigorous CFP® Certification Examination and to the development and support of the more than 330 financial planning education programs in the U.S. that have registered with CFP Board to prepare financial planners for CFP® certification. Ms. Roberts is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional who has been an active member of the professional financial planning community, including involvement with the Financial Planning Association of Illinois, and with CFP Board, for whom she has provided frequent support, including serving on the Education Task Force CFP Board assembled in 2006. She is also a Certified Financial Divorce Practitioner and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois and a Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies with a focus in Financial Planning from DePaul. Michael Robinson, is an Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School.  Michael is a graduate of Baruch College (BBA '87) and Columbia Business School (MBA '01). His professional experience includes a seven-year tenure running a profitable music publicity firm where reggae stars Buju Banton and the platinum-selling Grammy winner Shaggy were former clients, Business Development Analyst work in Panasonic's Strategic Alliances Group and independent media consulting. He co-authored a comprehensive media study on the state of public service broadcasting in the Caribbean and is a former freelance writer who has completed three New York City Marathons.                   Carol Lee Roberts, CFP® has been Managing Director of Examinations and Education at CFP Board