WASHINGTON, Feb. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Jean S.H. Schwarz, CFP®, has been appointed to serve as the 2012 Chair of the Council on Examinations. The Council on Examinations is responsible for providing advice and recommended actions regarding the development, administration and scoring of the CFP® Certification Examination consistent with best practices in high stakes testing and certification organizations.  Schwarz is a Director at Harris SBSB which offers customized investment management, financial planning and tax advisory services to individuals and families throughout the United States.

"CFP Board prides itself on its comprehensive and rigorous examination as it reflects the candidates' ability to integrate and apply the breadth of their financial planning knowledge to complete the tasks performed by CFP® professionals in real-life financial planning situations," said CFP Board's Chief Executive Officer Kevin R. Keller, CAE.

 "An experienced practitioner, like Jean, can continue to lead the council to create exams which successfully measure a candidate's readiness to function independently as a personal financial planner," Keller said.

CFP Board develops exams that reflect the current practice of financial planning. To do this, CFP Board conducts regular job analyses to identify the important tasks performed by planners and assesses the knowledge and skills needed to perform these tasks.

"I am excited to serve an organization that sets the bar for the financial planning profession through its commitment to maintaining a valid, reliable and legally defensible exam," said Schwarz.

Schwarz obtained her bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech University and her MBA from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. She has served on the Council on Examinations since 2008 and teaches Personal Financial Planning as an adjunct faculty for the University of Virginia.

ABOUT CFP BOARD
The mission of Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. is to benefit the public by granting the CFP® certification and upholding it as the recognized standard of excellence for competent and ethical personal financial planning. The Board of Directors, in furthering CFP Board's mission, acts on behalf of the public, CFP® professionals and other stakeholders. CFP Board owns the certification marks CFP®, Certified Financial Planner™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements.  CFP Board currently authorizes more than 64,000 individuals to use these marks in the U.S.

SOURCE Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc.