Meet Sherry Bogar, the New AAMA President, and What Her Career Shows Future CMAs

Sherry Bogar, CMA (AAMA), was installed as 2026-2027 AAMA President at the 70th AAMA Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada; the AAMA announced the installation on October 28, 2026. She has held the credential since 2004 and worked across seven clinical specialties, from gastroenterology to surgical oncology.

For current and future CMA (AAMA) holders, leadership change is a signal rather than a pivot. AAMA presidents do not rewrite exam or recertification rules; the House of Delegates sets policy. Bogar's own path underscores what students and working CMAs can do early: build specialty breadth, pursue employer-supported continuing education, and get involved at state and national levels.

The Quick Facts: Who, Where, and When Bogar Was Installed

Sherry Bogar, CMA (AAMA), was installed as the 2026-2027 AAMA President in Reno, Nevada, at the 70th AAMA Annual Conference. The announcement went out on October 28, 2026, from Reno, NV, through ACCESS Newswire, and the AAMA website's national leaders page lists her in the same role. Bogar resides in League City, Texas, and in this position she represents medical assistants and CMAs (AAMA) nationwide.

What the Announcement Does and Does Not Say

The press release does not include installation remarks from Bogar, and it does not lay out specific 2026-2027 priorities. The AAMA's press release index separately identifies Virginia Thomas, CMA (AAMA), as the 2025-2026 president installed at the 69th Annual Conference in Arlington, Virginia. For now, the confirmed leadership facts stand on their own.

Why This Matters to the Profession

The AAMA was founded in 1956 and describes itself as the only organization in the world devoted exclusively to the medical assisting profession. That singular focus is why a national installation matters: the person in this seat speaks for the credential and the profession, not just one state or specialty.

Sherry Bogar's Career: Seven Specialties, One Credential Since 2004

Sherry Bogar's career demonstrates that one CMA (AAMA) credential can anchor a long, flexible career in patient care. She earned the credential in 2004 and has since worked across seven clinical specialties: gastroenterology, urogynecology, urology, colorectal surgery, podiatry, reproductive endocrinology, and surgical oncology. That breadth gave her a rare view of how medical assisting fits into many corners of healthcare.

Moving Into Patient Navigation

Today, Bogar works as a Certified Breast Patient Navigator (CN-BC) for the Correctional Managed Care Division of the University of Texas Medical Branch. She oversees care for more than 5,000 female inmates within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice system. That role leans on both clinical knowledge and coordination skills many CMAs develop early.

Leadership Beyond the Clinic

Bogar has held nearly every leadership position within the Texas Society of Medical Assistants except treasurer. She also serves as president of the Clear Creek Swim League in her community. For students and early-career medical assistants, her path shows how the CMA (AAMA) credential can lead to specialty work, navigation, and leadership roles.

What Is the CN-BC Credential, and How Does It Connect to a CMA (AAMA)?

Patient navigation has become a formal career pathway in breast care, and the Certified Breast Navigator-Clinical (CN-BC) credential gives certified medical assistants a way to move into that role without returning to nursing school.

Issued by the National Consortium of Breast Centers (NCBC), CN-BC is one track in the NCBC Breast Patient Navigator Certification Program.¹ It is not an AAMA credential; it sits alongside the CMA (AAMA) as a separate certification. The NCBC Get Certified page and certification brochure outline the steps.

Eligibility at a Glance

CN-BC is open to certified medical assistants, technicians, and licensed practical or vocational nurses.² To qualify, you need to spend at least 25% of your job navigating patients or supervising breast navigators, complete 8 hours of focused education in breast care or navigation, and pass one exam.¹ Up to 4 of those education hours may come from tumor board participation. The NCBC recommends two years of breast navigation experience, but lists that as a recommendation, not a requirement. The $295 exam is offered through live remote proctoring or paper and pencil.³

How It Connects to the CMA (AAMA)

The practical link is the clinical experience. Years of rooming, patient education, and specialty care build the coordination skills navigators use across screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. Sherry Bogar's move from multiple clinical specialties into a Certified Breast Patient Navigator role shows the route, though the CMA (AAMA) credential alone does not automatically confer CN-BC.

How AAMA Governance Works: What a President Can and Cannot Change

In 2026, the AAMA President chairs the Board of Trustees and presides over all AAMA meetings except the House of Delegates. That single exception signals the balance: the President leads the association, but the House remains the policy-setting body.

Who Actually Holds the Power

The Board of Trustees, which includes the President, Vice President, Secretary, Speaker, Vice Speaker, Immediate Past President, and five to seven Trustees, manages property and financial affairs and conducts business between annual House meetings. The President is ex officio nonvoting on most committees and is excluded from the Nominating Committee. The House of Delegates determines AAMA policy, amends the Bylaws, and elects officers and Trustees. The Speaker presides over the House and appoints its Credentials, Reference, Tellers, Pages, and Minutes committees plus a Parliamentary Advisor; the Vice Speaker is a Board officer and jointly appoints those committees.

Where Certification Policy Lives

The CMA (AAMA) exam is not run by the President. The AAMA Certifying Board is an autonomous board within the organization. It prepares, administers, and evaluates the certification and recertification examinations, sets the minimum passing score, and certifies candidates. It approves its own Policies and Procedures and reports amendments to the Board of Trustees. A new President can shape priorities, but exam changes follow the Certifying Board's process.

What Bogar's Leadership Path Shows

Bogar's route through Trustee, Vice Speaker, Speaker, Vice President, and now President mirrors the governance ladder. Each role builds experience in a different part of AAMA: financial and business oversight as a Trustee, House procedure as Speaker, and whole-association leadership as President.

Related Articles

Will New Leadership Change CMA Recertification or Exam Rules?

The CMA (AAMA) credential remains anchored to postsecondary education and a 60-month recertification cycle, and the AAMA Certifying Board has not announced any 2026-2027 changes connected to the new presidency.

No rule changes tied to the new presidency

As of October 2026, the AAMA Certifying Board has not announced any change to CMA (AAMA) eligibility or recertification connected to Sherry Bogar's installation. Credential rules are set by the Certifying Board, which operates separately from the president, so leadership turnover does not automatically rewrite exam or CEU policy.

The current rules in plain terms

Eligibility for the CMA (AAMA) exam still requires completion of a postsecondary medical assisting program accredited by an agency recognized by the Certifying Board. Once certified, you recertify every 60 months by earning 60 continuing education points or by passing the exam again. The CE route requires at least 30 AAMA-approved points, with at least 10 each in administrative, clinical, and general categories; up to 30 points may come from non-AAMA-approved sources, and those activities must be medical-assisting relevant and at least 50 minutes per activity. If your credential is expired more than three months, CE is no longer an option and you must retake the exam.

What to watch

Monitor official AAMA and Certifying Board communications, especially around the annual conference and House of Delegates actions. Any future change would be announced through those channels. Before scheduling CEUs or submitting a recertification application, verify the current policy on the official AAMA website to avoid acting on rumor or outdated guidance.

What Bogar's Path Teaches Students and Early-Career Medical Assistants

Bogar's path makes a direct point: the CMA (AAMA) is an educational on-ramp, not a career endpoint. Her repeated emphasis that the credential requires postsecondary education should push students toward an accredited medical assistant program rather than a shortcut.

Start With an Accredited Program

Bogar's message is practical. A solid, accredited medical assistant program builds the anatomy, pharmacology, and clinical foundation that later lets you move between specialties. If you are comparing options, our medical assistant program page can help you weigh format and cost before enrolling.

Build Specialty Breadth Early

She has worked across gastroenterology, urogynecology, urology, colorectal surgery, podiatry, reproductive endocrinology, and surgical oncology. That breadth did not come from staying comfortable. Students should accept varied externships, ask to cross-train, and treat every rotation as a step toward a more flexible career. Early cross-training also makes later specialty changes less intimidating.

Keep Learning and Look Ahead

Continuing education, especially employer-supported CE, is a through line. It can lead into roles like patient navigator, including her current CN-BC work, or into nursing. Ask employers early whether they fund CE or certification renewal; many do. If you plan to grow clinically, remember the route from medical assistant to RN while you earn the CMA (AAMA).

A Talking Point for Educators

Use this line with students: "One credential, built on real education and active AAMA involvement, can carry you from entry-level medical assisting to national leadership."

How to Get Involved With the AAMA as a Student or CMA (AAMA)

1. Student membership

   If you're enrolled in a medical assisting program, join before graduation to access AAMA resources, conferences, and networking. Choose a one- or two-year term, with a two-year consecutive limit.
2. Join your state society

   Dues vary by state and cover national, state, and local access. Bogar's Texas Society of Medical Assistants path shows the ladder; similar societies exist in other states.
3. Attend conferences and volunteer

   Attend the AAMA Annual Conference or state conferences, usually in the first half of the year. Contact state or chapter leaders about volunteer roles.
4. Run for leadership

   Start in local or state positions and work toward national roles, as Bogar did.
5. Read the AAMA Code of Ethics

   Learn the ethical standards that guide CMA (AAMA) practice from day one.