Register for the 2023 Certified Executive Administrative Professional Program

Eight-month program builds a range of valuable skills for administrative professionals

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When Tonia Niles joined the Certified Executive Administrative Professional (CEAP) program in early 2022, she expected to learn how to sharpen some of the organization and communication skills she relies on to do her job as a staff assistant in the Department of Surgery.

After completing the yearlong program, Niles said she learned so much more about not just her job, but herself.

“I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, I just wanted to improve my professional skills,” Niles said. “Boy, did I get a thousand times more than that.”

The 2023 edition of the CEAP program, which consists of eight in-person professional development courses taken over a span of nine months, begins March 22 and is open to staff members in administrative professional roles in both the university and health system. Registration for the program is open now.

“This program is focused on leadership, it’s focused on excellence and it’s focused on learning things about business and productivity,” said Duke Learning and Organization Development Senior Practitioner Marjorie Siegert, who helps oversee the CEAP program. “It teaches you about relationships, efficiency and really how to orchestrate everything around you better.”

While Duke Learning & Organization Development offers the CEAP program, the CEAP designation is part of the Star Achievement Series from Office Dynamics International and recognized by employers beyond Duke.

And with program participants drawn from across Duke, CEAP graduates often leave the program with tight bonds formed with one another and an expanded network of colleagues.

“We found that a lot of us faces the same issues, but that a lot of us also had ideas we could share with one another,” Niles said about her CEAP classmates.

While Niles said she did have the opportunity to sharpen her time management and presentation skills, she found the program especially useful in helping her learn how to work in harmony with different personalities, how to be an effective communicator, and how her work can fit into the larger mission of her team.

“It was so helpful,” Niles said. “It helped me see things in a new way. It just opened up a lot of my blind spots and helped me see past my previous perceptions.”

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