Mission and History

ISA's Mission

Advancing excellence in the personal property appraisal profession.

Core Values

• Integrity
• Leadership
• Expertise and Education
• Collaborative Culture
• Member Driven

ISA's History

ISA was founded in 1979. The Society has grown from five people, who first met in a hotel room to discuss the need for such a professional organization, to over 800 members worldwide. ISA is the leading association of personal property appraisers in the world.

Accredited Members who have earned their ISA designation and Certified Members who have earned their CAPP (Certified Appraiser of Personal Property) designation have demonstrated appraisal competency through a mandatory education/testing program. They are bound to abide by the rigid Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, which embrace the highest standards of the profession.

In May 1993, the Society became a not-for-profit organization. A Board of Directors was appointed to govern ISA. Today, every member of the Board is an ISA trained appraiser. In February 1994, the Board directed that ISA management be administered "in house" and appointed Christian A. Coleman, ISA CAPP, to the position of Executive Director. In 2008, ISA went under management of Sentergroup, Inc., a professional association management company in Chicago. Sentergroup became part of MCI Group in June 2019, and now serves as the Chicago hub for MCI USA's Associations Solutions.

ISA offered the first personal property appraisal courses in 1982. New courses were developed in 1994. Since that date, an extensive educational program has been developed to offer courses on appraisal theory, principles and practice—all based on a standardized body of knowledge. Additional courses have been developed for a number of specialties, and more will be added as ISA continues to expand its member services. ISA courses are developed by experts in their respective fields and taught by professional ISA appraisers. Personal property appraising is an evolving profession and the ISA courses also continue to evolve in order to reflect the most advanced knowledge available.