CFP Board Names Certification Leader

CFP Board has appointed Chia-Li Chien, Ph.D., CFP as its managing director of Professional Practice. Chien will oversee CFP Board’s competency standards for certification, including examinations, experience, education and continuing education requirements.

As managing director, Chien ensures that CFP certification meets the annual third-party accreditation standards of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and that the CFP exam remains a valid, reliable and legally defensible assessment and upholds its professional standards.

“Chia-Li’s unique combination of academic expertise, practice experience and leadership in financial planning education make her the ideal fit for this role,” said CFP Board CEO Kevin R. Keller, CAE. “Her deep understanding of the financial planning profession is a key asset in our work to keep CFP^® certification impactful and relevant.”

Chien joins CFP Board from The American College of Financial Services, where she served as associate provost of Undergraduate & Graduate Programs, overseeing standards, policies and curriculum management. During her time there, she developed a new CFP Board Registered Program — the Master of Science in Financial Planning.

With a decade of experience in financial services education, Chien has helped to develop CFP Board Registered Programs, including those at Ball State University and California Lutheran University. Before leading financial education programs, she was a CFP practitioner and held senior management roles in Fortune 500 companies.

As a CFP Board volunteer, Chien was chair of the 2024 Council on Education, a mentor in the WIN program and a CFP exam writer and reviewer for over a decade.

“I’m thrilled to step into this role,” said Chien. “I’m eager to build on CFP Board’s legacy of excellence in step with the evolving financial planning profession.”

Chien holds a Ph.D. in financial and retirement planning and a master’s degree in financial services from The American College of Financial Services. She earned an master’s degree  in insurance from the University of Hartford and her bachelor’s degree in finance from Central Connecticut State University.

Based in CFP Board’s Washington, D.C., headquarters, Chien will report to CFP Board COO K. Dane Snowden. She joined the organization on April 7. CFP Board’s recruiting partner, Vetted Solutions, assisted in the search for this new role.