The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT), the global gold standard in sleep health credentialing, has officially entered a transformative phase. In a move designed to bolster its long-term operational sustainability and enhance the value proposition for its thousands of certificants, the organization has announced a strategic partnership with Association Headquarters (AH), a premier full-service association management company.
This transition, which officially commences on June 15, 2026, represents more than a simple administrative change; it signals a fundamental evolution in how the BRPT will support the sleep medicine community, manage its certification programs, and advocate for the highest standards of patient care. Alongside this partnership, the organization is bidding farewell to its longtime executive leader, James Magruder, and welcoming industry veteran MaryBeth Kurland, MPA, CAE, ICE-CCP, to the helm.
Main Facts: The Strategic Shift
The core of this transition centers on the migration of the BRPT’s management operations to Association Headquarters. As a globally recognized entity, the BRPT is responsible for the Registered Polysomnographic Technologist (RPSGT) designation—the most widely held credential in the field—as well as the Certification in Sleep Health (CCSH) and other specialized professional certificates.
The selection of AH follows a rigorous, multi-month competitive review process led by the BRPT Board of Directors. The goal was to identify a partner capable of balancing the complex regulatory and psychometric demands of a high-stakes certification board with the operational agility required to serve a growing, global workforce.
Under the new arrangement, several key functions will be centralized:
- Operational Integration: Existing BRPT staff will transition to become employees of AH, ensuring that the institutional knowledge and the nuances of the certification process remain preserved.
- Resource Centralization: Marketing, technology, financial services, and web management will be consolidated under AH’s infrastructure, allowing the BRPT to leverage economies of scale and advanced digital tools.
- Leadership Continuity: MaryBeth Kurland will assume the role of Executive Director, bringing 30 years of experience in association management, with a specific focus on the intricacies of credentialing.
Chronology: The Road to Transition
The path toward this announcement was not an overnight decision but rather the culmination of a deliberate, long-term strategic plan.
Early 2025: Identifying the Need
Recognizing the rapid changes in the healthcare landscape—including the rise of telehealth, portable sleep monitoring, and increased demand for sleep health services—the BRPT board initiated a strategic assessment. They sought to determine how the organization could best serve its certificants in a digital-first era.
Late 2025: The Competitive Review
The Board of Directors conducted an extensive search for an Association Management Company (AMC). The selection criteria were stringent, requiring the partner to demonstrate not only proficiency in basic association operations but a deep, specialized understanding of the psychometric standards required by accredited certification boards.
Spring 2026: Preparation for Handoff
With the selection of Association Headquarters finalized, the spring months were dedicated to operational mapping. This involved integrating IT systems, aligning financial workflows, and ensuring that the transition for current RPSGT and CCSH holders would be seamless.
June 15, 2026: The Commencement
The official transition date marks the beginning of the new partnership. On this date, management responsibilities shift to the AH team, and the infrastructure updates begin in earnest.
Late June 2026: Leadership Succession
Following his tenure, James Magruder will step down to enter retirement. His departure closes a significant chapter in BRPT’s history. MaryBeth Kurland will immediately assume full leadership duties, tasked with overseeing the integration and launching the board’s next three-year strategic roadmap.
Supporting Data: Why Credentialing Matters
The importance of the BRPT cannot be overstated. As sleep medicine moves from the clinical laboratory into the home, the need for standardized, rigorous credentialing has never been greater.
The Landscape of Sleep Health Credentials
- RPSGT (Registered Polysomnographic Technologist): The gold standard credential for sleep technologists. It signifies an individual’s ability to perform comprehensive sleep testing, analyze complex physiologic data, and ensure patient safety.
- CCSH (Certification in Sleep Health): A program designed for a broader range of healthcare professionals, including nurses, respiratory therapists, and counselors, who provide education and management for patients with sleep-related disorders.
The Role of Association Management
According to data from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), certification boards that leverage AMCs like Association Headquarters often see improved member engagement and higher operational efficiencies. By offloading the "back office" work—such as complex database management for credential verification and high-level marketing—to specialized firms, professional boards can focus their energy on their core mission: maintaining the integrity of the profession.
Official Responses
The leadership of both the BRPT and the incoming management team have expressed high levels of optimism regarding the partnership.
Steve Glinka, MPH, RPSGT, president of the BRPT, framed the move as a necessity for the organization’s future. "This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for the BRPT," Glinka stated in a formal release. "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. 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."
MaryBeth Kurland, who has spent over 15 years working specifically with credentialing organizations, views the partnership as an opportunity to scale the BRPT’s impact. Her deep experience with ICE-CCP (Institute for Credentialing Excellence Certified Credentialing Professional) standards makes her uniquely qualified to navigate the complexities of board certification, ensuring that the BRPT continues to meet the highest regulatory requirements.
Implications: What This Means for Professionals
For the thousands of technologists and clinicians who hold BRPT credentials, the transition is designed to be felt primarily as an improvement in service quality rather than a disruption in status.
1. Enhanced Responsiveness
One of the primary goals of the shift to Association Headquarters is the enhancement of the "certificant experience." With a larger, centralized team, the BRPT expects to provide faster response times for inquiries, more efficient processing of certification renewals, and more robust support for candidates navigating the examination process.
2. Modernization of Digital Assets
In the modern professional landscape, the digital portal is the primary interface between a credentialing body and its members. The partnership is expected to drive upgrades to the BRPT’s web presence and technology infrastructure, making it easier for professionals to access continuing education (CE) credits, track their certification status, and access professional development resources.
3. Strengthening Industry Impact
Beyond the individual level, the move is intended to strengthen the BRPT’s voice in the broader healthcare industry. By centralizing marketing and strategic communications, the BRPT plans to more effectively advocate for the importance of certified sleep health professionals to hospital systems, insurance payers, and regulatory agencies.
4. A Stable Future
The decision to retain current staff within the new management structure is a strategic move to ensure that the "institutional memory" of the BRPT remains intact. The staff members who possess deep relationships with the sleep community will continue to be the faces of the organization, providing a sense of continuity as the board enters this next phase of its evolution.
Conclusion
As the BRPT navigates this significant administrative and leadership shift, the focus remains firmly on the patient. By ensuring that its practitioners are held to the highest standard of competence and by modernizing the support systems that back those professionals, the BRPT is positioning itself to lead the field of sleep medicine for the next decade.
With MaryBeth Kurland at the helm and the operational backbone of Association Headquarters firmly in place, the BRPT is prepared to meet the future of sleep health head-on, ensuring that every RPSGT and CCSH holder has the resources they need to excel in an increasingly complex medical environment. For the thousands of professionals in the field, this transition represents a commitment to growth, excellence, and the enduring importance of professional certification.
