Next week, we’ll be hosting our final Quarterly Skills Share (QSS) session of 2025! These sessions are a regular part of the CSCCE Community Manager Certification Program that are both an opportunity for knowledge-sharing among peers, and a regular check-in at which we share news and updates.
One of those updates is that we have SEVEN more CSCCE-certified community managers to celebrate!
Rieley Auger (Global Land Programme), Sophie Bui (National Center for Supercomputing Applications), Yan-Kay Ho (Open Bioeconomy Lab & Reclone – Reagent Collaboration Network), Allie Lau (American Physical Society), Zoë Leanza (Sage Bionetworks), Johanssen Obanda (Crossref), and Curtis Sharma (Research Data Alliance) all completed their program requirements, and at next month’s QSS we’ll all get to celebrate their graduation!
This blog post highlights our newest grads’ paths through the program, as well as some reflections on what they learned during their time with us. And, for those less familiar with the program, we’ve also included a brief summary of what it involves.
As a reminder, we now accept open enrollment in the CSCCE Community Manager Certification Program, which means you can join the program at any time. So if you’re interested in signing up, do send an email to training@cscce.org! You can also access one QSS session by enrolling in a CSCCE multi-week training. If you’re interested in taking one of our courses in 2026, let us know in this brief form.
A brief overview of the program
CSCCE’s Community Manager Certification Program follows on from our foundational Scientific Community Engagement Fundamentals (CEF) course to create a longer-form, multi-component, online program for STEM community managers. Participants are required to complete three multi-week courses (Content Design, Creating Community Playbooks, and an elective course of their choice), six Mini-workshops (Creating core values statements, Giving and receiving feedback, and four more of their choice), and attend three Quarterly Skills Share sessions (presenting a lightning talk at one of them).
The curriculum is intended to ensure all participants receive training in core concepts underpinning successful collaboration and community building. With this strong foundation, they can then choose their specialities via their elective course and Mini-workshops. Also, because of the program’s modular nature, it allows for new trainings to be added as we develop them. For example, we added Project Management for Scientists as an elective course this year.
You’re not just joining a learning program, you’re also gaining a community!
Earlier this month, Katie sat down with our new grads and talked with them about their experiences in the program. The conversation touched on how each individual participant is using their training today (including creating more community-engaged comms and content; developing new playbooks for their communities and colleagues; and developing a shared vocabulary they can use with each other and their teammates), but also acknowledged that one of the most valuable things they gained was an ongoing community of fellow practitioners – a network with whom they could continue to problem solve.
These peer-to-peer connections are often nurtured at Quarterly Skills Sessions, and almost everyone recalled a particular session from earlier this year where the speakers shared their expertise in co-creating community programming and resources. They also highlighted how much they appreciated presenters sharing templates and behind-the-scenes “tips and tricks” – again pearls of wisdom that would otherwise go un-shared.
We’re delighted that all our Certification Program grads will be ongoing members of our community of practice in Slack, and will continue to support each other and the broader community. And we look forward to following their career paths as they take on new roles, new community platforms, and new teammates over the next 12 months!
Rieley’s journey through the program
Rieley joined the CSCCE Community Manager Certification Program in June 2024, after completing CEF and collaborating with CSCCE on the Global Land Program’s member survey. Her journey through the program started with Creating Community Playbooks (PBK), followed by Content Design (CODE) and culminating earlier this year with the Project Management for Scientists Bootcamp (PMB). Along the way, her Mini-workshop choices reflected her professional focus as coordinator of a large, international community of volunteers, who she celebrated in her QSS lightning talk on facilitating in-person gatherings. Going forward, she’ll be focusing more on online community management, with a new community platform launching soon!
About her time in the program, Rieley said:
“The timing of everything was perfect – training offerings and QSS sessions coincided with the challenges I was coming across, and it was really helpful to be able to apply what I was learning in real time.”
Congratulations, Rieley!
Sophie’s journey through the program
Sophie was part of our inaugural cohort of the program, joining us back in September of 2023. She and many of our “early adopter” participants have been integral in shaping our core courses, PBK and CODE, through their generous and constructive feedback. Sophie’s electives reflect her community management focus; she recently completed Nurturing Online Communities (NOC), and her lightning talk presentation highlighted her project (as well as community!) management skills.
About her time in the program, Sophie said:
“Lou and Camille [did] a great job of chunking/breaking down dense materials into easier to digest sessions. It increased my overall understanding of the concepts we covered.”
Congratulations, Sophie!
Yan-Kay’s journey through the program
Yan-Kay and Sophie travelled a parallel path through the program, and even presented their lightning talks at the same Quarterly Skills Share session. As a combination community manager and project manager, Yan-Kay appreciated the interweaving of materials that touched on multiple aspects of her role. She and her collaborators at Reclone also joined us this year for the pilot cohort of the Birdaro training program for open-source leaders, during which time they’re focused on developing a playbook to coordinate strategy and resourcing sharing through their three regional hubs, making her perhaps one of our “most decorated” alumni!
About their time in the program, Yan-Kay said:
“The CSCCE team and the trainers clearly put a lot of thought into developing the courses, lessons and co-labs to make it as engaging and applicable as possible. The environment is always very welcoming and I felt that it was a safe and productive space for me and my fellow learners to share our thoughts and learn together.”
Congratulations, Yan-Kay!
Allie’s journey through the program
Allie participated in PBK, CODE, and NOC alongside Yan-Kay and Sophie, and focused her Mini-workshop selections on virtual event facilitation and working with volunteers. Allie’s role involves a significant amount of content creation and communications, and in her lightning talk she described how these skills combined as she guided her community towards co-creating a roadmap for culture change. She also noted that even though she works with an in-house marketing team, having a better understanding of how community management and content creation intersects has made her communications work more impactful.
About her time in the program, Allie said:
“[I would recommend this program to others because] it is very practical, and there are directly applicable lessons and products that you will make in each course.”
Congratulations, Allie!
Zoë’s journey through the program
Another member of our inaugural cohort, Zoë’s journey to certification included PMB as her elective and Mini-workshops focusing on large, multi-stakeholder communities. Her work connects physicians, scientists, and patients via an online platform, and her lightning talk presentation focused on the positive impacts of the community on Alzheimer’s Disease research. As she looks ahead to welcoming a new team member, she’s excited to codify what she’s learned to manage and elevate their work together.
About her time in the program, Zoë said:
“Participating in the Certification Program has provided a foundation for professional self-advocacy and a much better understanding of my role in the broader research community.”
Congratulations, Zoë!
Obanda’s journey through the program
Obanda joined the Certification Program at the same time as Rieley, and simultaneously navigated his journey through CODE and PBK. He chose NOC as his elective, which complemented his Mini-workshop selections that collectively focused on supporting volunteers in large, globally-distributed communities. His lightning talk title remains one of our absolute favorites: “Sharing power through co-creation” was one of three presentations on co-creation that many of our grads remember!
About his time in the program, Obanda said:
“It is excellent for personal and career development – you get to have a 360 degrees overview of community engagement and practical steps to get better as a manager.”
Congratulations, Obanda!
Curtis’s journey through the program
And our “final” graduate this year is Curtis. After completing the pilot versions of CODE and PBK, Curtis focused his electives on project management, supporting large-scale collaborations, and facilitating collective decision making. This last topic also related to his lightning talk, which described an interactive and consensus based approach to community resource creation. Even though Curtis’ time in the program coincided with a particularly busy time at work, he found that just being in the classroom with his cohort and CSCCE’s instructors was almost as valuable as the materials themselves.
About his time in the program, Curtis said:
“…because of the program, and through contributions from others in the program, I’ve become more engaged with team members, internal and external stakeholders.”
Congratulations, Curtis!
Celebrating our CSCCE-certified community managers!
We celebrate graduates from the program in multiple ways! Everyone who successfully completes the program:
- Receives a digital badge recognizing their achievement
- Receives a digital certificate that they can print and display
- Receives an enamel pin and personalized postcard in the mail
- Is featured on a new page on the CSCCE website
- Is featured at the next Quarterly Skills Share session (for this quarter’s grads, that will take place on Wednesday, 3 December 2025)
If you’d like to start your journey towards certification, you can find more information on this page of the website, as well as answers to some FAQs and a detailed breakdown of our prepaid and pay-as-you-go participation options. To enroll, please email training@cscce.org!