Center for Executive Coaching (CEC)

Founded in 2006 by Andrew Neitlich, a Harvard Business School MBA and author of Elegant Leadership, the Center for Executive Coaching (CEC) was built from the start around a single conviction: that executive coaching is a practical business discipline rather than an academic exercise. Headquartered in the Sarasota, Florida area, CEC has trained more than 2,500 coaches across 40+ countries. In 2024, the organization was acquired by Keystone Partners, a Boston-based leadership development and career management firm, and now operates as a division of Keystone Partners. Neitlich remained as Director, continuing to lead seminars and shape curriculum.

CEC's explicit target audience is experienced professionals (executives, HR leaders, management consultants, and therapists) who want to add executive coaching to their practice or pivot into it full-time. The programs assume business acumen rather than teaching it from scratch, which sets the pace and tone of the curriculum. Coaches certified by CEC hold either the proprietary CEC Executive Coach Certification, an ICF credential (ACC or PCC), or both.

Program structure

CEC operates two distinct certification tracks: a proprietary credential and an ICF-aligned path. Both draw from the same core curriculum and can be pursued in hybrid, fully virtual, or in-person seminar formats.

CEC Executive Coach Certification

The flagship proprietary credential, available through the Core Program or Virtual Seminar Program (each priced at $5,990). Content is delivered in standalone mini-modules; each class covers a discrete coaching situation and can be attended in any sequence, making the format genuinely self-paced. Participants can complete the program in two to four months. Completion of the CEC credential also counts toward ICF education hours if a participant later chooses to pursue ICF designation.

ICF Level 1: ACC pathway

The Level 1 program requires 60 hours of coach training (a minimum of 50% live) plus mentor coaching. It provides the foundation for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. CEC's Level 1 accreditation was added after the organization held Level 2 status, giving candidates a faster, lower-cost entry point to ICF credentialing.

ICF Level 2: PCC pathway

The Level 2 program requires 125 hours of training (up to half asynchronous) and is the most direct route to the ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) designation. Mentor coaching is included, and CEC's Level 2 status means participants do not need to submit coaching recordings to the ICF for independent review, a step that can add months to the process with other providers. The all-in ICF Path program is priced at $8,490; a Full Program accelerated variant combining all required elements runs $10,990.

A University-Backed Certification, combining a CEC credential with a partner university credential, is also available at $9,990–$12,490 for candidates seeking an academic imprimatur alongside their coaching certification. CEC also runs a Team Coaching program aligned to the ICF Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC).

Methodology

CEC's curriculum is grounded in what Neitlich describes as applied research from neuroscience, emotional intelligence, psychology, and business school leadership studies. The program de-emphasizes what it calls "academic theory" and "fluff" in favor of tools coaches can use in client sessions from day one: structured conversation frameworks, business development guidance, and specialty tracks covering executive, leadership, career, and business coaching contexts.

The mini-module delivery format, a design choice Neitlich has maintained since the organization's founding, allows participants to join live webinars on individual topics in any order. This suits experienced professionals with variable schedules, though it also means the sequence of learning is less linear than cohort-based programs. Mentor coaching is embedded in ICF-track programs rather than sold separately, and CEC includes peer-coaching matching to help participants accumulate their required 100 coaching hours for PCC candidacy.

Faculty hold ICF credentials at the PCC or MCC level. Sheri Boone, Director of Training and Lead Mentor Coach (MCC, BCC), brings experience from leading global training at the International Coach Academy.

ICF relationship

CEC is accredited by the ICF as both a Level 1 and Level 2 organization, the two tiers that replaced the former ACSTH and ACTP designations, respectively. Level 2 accreditation is the more rigorous of the two, requiring the ICF to assess the organization's policies, methodologies, and quality evaluation processes. Holding both levels gives CEC the flexibility to serve candidates at different stages of the ICF credentialing process without requiring them to switch providers. The organization is also recognized by the Center for Continuing Education for its programs.

What this means for you

If you are considering hiring a coach who trained at CEC, the credential reliably signals practical grounding in business contexts and at least 60–125 hours of formal coach training meeting ICF standards. The ICF Level 2 pathway in particular means the coach's mentor coaching was evaluated by CEC faculty rather than self-submitted to the ICF, which provides an additional quality checkpoint. What the credential does not guarantee is expertise in any particular industry or coaching methodology beyond the CEC framework. Ask the coach which specialty tracks they completed and what client types they have worked with. CEC's stated focus on executives and organizational leaders means graduates are more likely to have a corporate rather than life-coaching orientation, though individual coaches vary.