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St. Paul auction professional, Connie Johnson of Kurt Johnson Auctioneering, Inc., recently was awarded the prestigious Pat Massart Scholarship during the Certified Auctioneers Institute (CAI) at Indiana University. CAI is the industry’s premier training program and top designation developed by the National Auctioneers Association (NAA) for auction professionals.
In 2008, CAI began awarding the Pat Massart Scholarship to the person from CAI’s graduating class, chosen via secret ballot by his/her peers as the outstanding leader of their class. The amount of the scholarship award is the amount that Johnson paid for her CAI III tuition. She plans to donate her scholarship back to the National Auctioneers Association to be given to a first generation auctioneer accepted to attend CAI in the future.
The scholarship honors Pat Massart, a woman who was passionate about the CAI program, the National Auctioneers Foundation Board, and the NAA Education Institute Trustees. Pat graduated CAI in 1988. She died in 2009 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Johnson shared, “When my name was called during graduation, I had my camera ready to capture the classmate who was chosen. I literally sat in shock for a moment and my world started moving in slow motion. …I’m not sure what’s greater, to receive an award named after someone so adored and missed within my industry, or to be chosen by my powerhouse classmates (44 strong)—a room full of natural-born leaders. This is the honor of my professional career and I am so incredibly grateful for it.”
The three-year CAI designation program provides auction professionals the opportunity to earn the industry’s most respected professional designation. CAI is an intensive, executive development program offering professional auctioneers with instruction and coursework in business management, ethics, finance, communication, strategic planning and marketing. The NAA conducts CAI every March at Indiana University in Bloomington.
Johnson is the Vice President and General Manager of Kurt Johnson Auctioneering and the President of Benefit Auction Institute. She has also earned her BAS (Benefit Auctioneer Specialist) designation from the National Auctioneers Association as well as her B.A. in Public Relations from St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN. She resides in St. Paul with her husband, Kurt. To learn more about Johnson, please call (651) 407-9922, email info@kurtjohnsonauctioneering.com, or visit www.kurtjohnsonauctioneering.com or www.benefitauctioninstitute.com .
For more information about CAI, its history and its standing as the premiere training program for auction professionals, contact the NAA at (913) 541-8084 or visit www.auctioneers.org.
About the Benefit Auction Institute
Benefit Auction Institute, the sister company of Kurt Johnson Auctioneering, Inc., exists to provide nonprofit fund raising professionals with the tips, tools and talent needed to leverage their charity and benefit auction events to their most successful outcomes.
About Kurt Johnson Auctioneering, Inc.
Kurt Johnson Auctioneering, Inc. has carved a niche as one of the nation’s premier benefit and corporate motivational auction companies. With 29 years’ experience and over 2,400 auctions to its credit, Kurt Johnson Auctioneering, Inc. has raised more than $155 million for nonprofit organizations. Our award-winning staff is well-known for entertaining/engaging its audience; sharing information about an event’s cause; and calling attendees to action through lively bidding and good-natured fun. The end result is a successful live auction achieved through the excitement of audience collaboration.
