In a significant move to bolster its long-term strategic growth and enhance support for its global base of credentialed professionals, the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) has officially announced a partnership with Association Headquarters (AH), a premier full-service association management company. This transition, which becomes effective June 15, 2026, marks a pivotal shift in the operational infrastructure of one of the sleep medicine field’s most influential certifying bodies.
The partnership arrives alongside a major leadership transition, as the organization prepares for the retirement of long-time executive James Magruder. Replacing him is industry veteran MaryBeth Kurland, who brings nearly three decades of association management expertise to the helm. As the sleep health profession faces increasing complexity and demand, this restructuring is designed to fortify the BRPT’s mission of maintaining the highest standards of clinical excellence.
The Core Transformation: A New Operational Framework
The decision to transition to an association management company (AMC) model was not taken lightly. Following a rigorous and competitive search process, the BRPT board of directors identified Association Headquarters as the partner best equipped to bridge the gap between operational efficiency and the specialized needs of a credentialing body.
What Changes for the BRPT?
The shift represents a move toward centralized, scalable, and highly specialized professional services. While the BRPT’s existing staff will remain with the organization—transitioning into roles under the AH umbrella to ensure the preservation of institutional knowledge and operational continuity—they will now be supported by the broader, integrated resources of AH.
Specific areas of consolidation and enhancement include:
- Operational Integration: Centralizing financial services, marketing, and web infrastructure under AH’s established technology stack.
- Enhanced Member Services: Providing credential holders with more robust, responsive support channels.
- Strategic Advancement: Leveraging AH’s experience with credentialing organizations to streamline the certification and renewal processes.
- Technological Scaling: Utilizing AH’s digital resources to modernize how the BRPT communicates with and serves its growing network of technologists.
Chronology: The Road to Modernization
The path to this partnership was paved by a multi-year period of evaluation. As the sleep health field has evolved—moving from a niche area of respiratory care to a multidisciplinary pillar of wellness—the BRPT recognized the need for a management structure that could keep pace with rapid digital transformation and changing industry standards.
Phase 1: Self-Assessment (2024–2025)
Recognizing that the landscape of board certification was changing, the BRPT leadership initiated a comprehensive internal audit. The goal was to identify bottlenecks in service delivery and explore ways to better support the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) and Certification in Sleep Health (CCSH) programs.
Phase 2: Competitive Review (Late 2025 – Early 2026)
The board conducted a search for a partner that understood the specific nuances of psychometrics, testing security, and the regulatory environment governing professional certifications. The search prioritized firms with a "certificant-first" philosophy.
Phase 3: Leadership Succession Planning (Early 2026)
With the planned retirement of James Magruder, the board utilized the transition period to align the new management firm with the selection of a new executive director, ensuring that the incoming leader could hit the ground running with a fully integrated management partner.
Phase 4: The June 2026 Transition
Effective June 15, 2026, the formal handover begins. This phase focuses on the integration of staff and the migration of internal systems to ensure a seamless experience for those currently pursuing or maintaining their credentials.
Supporting Data: The Pillars of BRPT Certification
The BRPT remains the standard-bearer for sleep technology, managing credentials that are essential to the clinical operations of sleep labs across the globe. Understanding the scope of the organization explains why a shift in management is so critical to the industry.
The Credentialing Portfolio
- RPSGT (Registered Polysomnographic Technologist): The gold standard for sleep technologists. The RPSGT designation represents an individual who has met rigorous academic and clinical requirements, proving their competency in the complex world of sleep diagnostics.
- CCSH (Certification in Sleep Health): An advanced credential designed for clinicians who work beyond the lab, focusing on the broader spectrum of sleep health management, patient education, and advocacy.
The Impact of Scale
The BRPT serves thousands of practitioners, and the demand for certification continues to grow as the link between sleep disorders and systemic health conditions—such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental health—becomes more evident. By partnering with AH, the BRPT is essentially "future-proofing" its ability to handle this growth, ensuring that as the number of applicants increases, the quality and speed of processing do not diminish.
Official Perspectives: The Leadership Vision
The transition has been met with enthusiasm from the board of directors, who see this as a necessary evolution to maintain the BRPT’s status as a premier certifying agency.
"This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the BRPT," said Steve Glinka, MPH, RPSGT, president of the BRPT. "We evaluated partners who not only understood the mechanics of certification board management, but who genuinely shared our passion for helping our certificants advance the sleep health profession."
Glinka emphasized that the move is fundamentally about the people the board serves. "Association Headquarters brings together operational excellence with a certificant-first approach. We are confident this collaboration will strengthen our mission and deliver meaningful benefits to our certificants and organization as a whole."
Incoming Executive Director MaryBeth Kurland echoed this sentiment. With over 15 years of specific experience in credentialing organizations, Kurland is uniquely positioned to manage the complexities of the BRPT’s certification standards. Her arrival signals a move toward a more data-driven, strategic approach to board leadership.
Implications: What This Means for the Industry
The shift to an AMC model is a broader trend within professional societies, but for the sleep health sector, the implications are significant.
1. Increased Professionalization of Sleep Health
By centralizing marketing, technology, and financial services, the BRPT can refocus its energy on its core mission: defining and maintaining standards. This should lead to higher visibility for the RPSGT and CCSH credentials, potentially increasing their value in the job market and influencing hospital hiring policies.
2. Streamlining the "Path to Certification"
For students and current practitioners, the most noticeable change will likely be in the interface and administrative processes. An AMC brings professional-grade web and CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools, which should result in a more intuitive, faster, and more transparent process for exam registration, recertification, and Continuing Education (CE) credit tracking.
3. Strengthening Industry Advocacy
The partnership with AH provides the BRPT with a larger platform. AH manages a diverse portfolio of associations, which creates opportunities for cross-industry collaboration. This could lead to more robust partnerships with medical associations, insurance providers, and regulatory bodies—all of which are essential to ensuring that sleep health is recognized as a vital component of public health.
4. A Seamless Transition for Staff
By retaining the existing staff, the BRPT has successfully mitigated the risk of "institutional amnesia." The staff’s deep understanding of the RPSGT program, coupled with AH’s management expertise, creates a "best-of-both-worlds" scenario. The staff gains new tools and a larger professional support network, while the organization retains its unique culture and dedication to the sleep community.
Conclusion: A New Era for Sleep Technologists
The appointment of Association Headquarters as the new management partner is more than just an administrative change; it is a strategic investment in the future of the sleep health profession. As the BRPT prepares to transition to this new model in June 2026, the organization is clearly signaling that it is ready to meet the challenges of the next decade.
With MaryBeth Kurland at the helm and a robust management framework in place, the BRPT is poised to elevate the standards of sleep health, provide unparalleled support to its certificants, and ensure that those who are the frontline defenders of a good night’s sleep are equipped with the most respected credentials in the industry. For the thousands of professionals who carry the RPSGT or CCSH designation, this transition promises a more responsive, efficient, and forward-thinking partner in their professional journey.
