The Certified Restorer (CR) program has been called the “Ph.D. of Restoration” and the certificants who have attained the designation all share a common bond of hard work and dedication in their pursuit of their CR. However, the program, which was initiated in 1980, has been in need of updating, research, and broad industry review, if it will serve the needs of a 21st Century restoration industry. To that end, the Restoration Industry Association, (RIA) has developed a multi-year, multi-phased implementation plan to redevelop the CR program.
 
In 2011, the CR Body of Knowledge and Curriculum Committee initiated the process of defining the restoration profession and its competencies in the first document of its kind in the industry; the CR Body of Knowledge, (BoK). After nearly 12,000 volunteer hours and two extensive peer review processes, the CR BoK will be published in July 2017. This session will briefly examine the BoK and discuss what it is, and what it is not, and how that will impact the restoration industry.
 
Additionally, this session will also explore the metamorphosis of the CR program and how it will be re-shaped over the coming 3 years.