The Certified Forensic Manager Program (CFMP) is a program of the National Forensic Science Academy (NFSA), an endeavor by RTI to provide the Forensic Science community with a primary location for professional certifications for a wide range of job roles, organization levels, and disciplines.
The CFMP establishes a national standard for professional development of crime laboratory leaders and creates positive change within the criminal justice system by instilling a culture of excellence and collaboration in the production of accurate, scientific, forensic results.
The CFMP consists of three levels of certification of Certified Forensic Manager (CFM):
Each certification level’s content builds on the concepts of the certification preceding it, creating a progressive certification level system where each certification level should be taken in order from CFM-I to CFM-III, regardless of actual job position or title.
All those who have the prerequisites for examination, and have passed the examination itself, will be Certified Forensic Managers.
The CFMP is governed by a Board of Directors that represents the full range of interests in the forensic science community, in addition to independent experts in leadership and educational assessment. The CFMP Bylaws govern all aspects of CFMP governance, including the adoption of new certification programs and review procedures.
CFM-I (Supervisor) establishes the foundation of leadership competencies providing the knowledge, skills, and abilities of forensic leadership.
CFM-II (Manager) expands on the foundation of Level I leadership competencies to progress to higher levels of responsibility in forensic organizations.
The CFM-III (Director) expands on the foundation of Level II leadership competencies to progress to the highest levels of responsibility in forensic organizations.
Certified Forensic Managers possess all the leadership qualities of an effective manager while still maintaining a strong connection to their technical skills.