As 2025 draws to a close, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the incredible work of the Candidate Advocate Working Group (CAWG). This year, our volunteers made significant strides in advancing the Candidate Experience pillar of the CAS Strategic Plan — ensuring that candidates’ voices are heard and valued at every stage of their journey. 

One of our biggest achievements was deepening collaboration with CAS Admissions. I have the privilege of serving on the Admissions Governance Committee, representing candidate perspectives at the highest level. Alongside Vice Chair Jack Richards and Staff Chair Stephanie Litrenta, we presented on the candidate experience at the Syllabus & Examination Committee (SECOM) Leadership Summit and partnered with Jon Lim, the new general officer of candidate experience, to host brainstorming sessions with admissions volunteers. These efforts ensure that candidate feedback is heard throughout the credentialing process. 

The CAWG played a pivotal role in two major projects: redesigning score reports and enhancing content outlines. While these initiatives are still underway, our members provided critical input to address current challenges. Jack Richards led a dedicated team to create mock-ups for the new score reports, now in beta testing — a big step toward clearer, more granular post-exam feedback for candidates who’ve failed their exam attempt. For the content outline enhancements, CAWG members have been providing targeted input and feedback to the task force leading the project, helping ensure the enhancements address candidate needs and current pain points. 

Our volunteers also contributed to the new grader insight videos released by Admissions. From participating in video creation to offering feedback during focus groups, CAWG members helped ensure these resources meet candidates’ needs. This input will guide future improvements as more tools are developed. 

Amid these initiatives, the CAWG continued its core work. We once again successfully produced Future Fellows for 2025. Every article was written by our volunteers, and their creativity and dedication shone through each issue. The group was also involved in reading and providing feedback on key communications to candidates from the CAS, and they continued to bring up important topics as they arose throughout the year. 

This year, the CAWG truly made an impact, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together. As we look to 2026, I’m excited for the opportunities ahead and the continued progress we’ll make for candidates everywhere.