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  • NACE Awards Program

    The deadline to submit for NACE Awards was January 31, 2022.


    NACE Awards honor members' outstanding achievements in the career services and HR/staffing professions.

    2021 Award Winners


    VIEW AWARD WINNERS

    NACE Awards provide honors and recognition for yourself, your staff, and your organization through acknowledgment at the NACE Conference & Expo and in NACE publications.

    The NACE Awards honor members' outstanding achievements in the career services and HR/staffing professions. NACE Excellence Awards are judged on program needs/objectives, content, design, creativity, innovation, measurable outcomes and ease of replication in the following categories:

    Awards for Organizations

    Career Services Excellence Award—Awarded for excellence in career services best practices.

    Recruiting Excellence Award—Recognizes excellence in recruiting best practices.

    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Excellence Award—Acknowledges excellence in best practices in nurturing and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

    Technology Excellence Award—Awarded for excellence in best practices using technology and/or social media outlets.

    NACE/Chevron Award ($1,000 provided by Chevron)—Recognizes outstanding achievement for innovative programs in the college career services field.

    Awards for Individuals

    Career Services Champion Award—Awarded to a college or university president or chancellor from an accredited institution of higher education who supports the establishment of and demonstrates forward-thinking leadership in support of career services/education.

    Employer Recruiting Champion Award—Awarded to a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), President, or Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of an organization that recruits college students. The awardee will be one who demonstrates significant commitment to recruiting, hiring, and cultivating college talent.

    Mackes Leadership Award—Honors and celebrates the impact of Marilyn Mackes’ tenure as NACE Executive Director, who lead the association for 23 years. This award recognizes the individual achievement of a NACE member who has shown exemplary leadership skills and initiative while promoting an environment of respect, ethical standards, diversity, equity, inclusivity, and innovation.

    Members' Choice Award—Awarded to an individual who addresses a challenge, problem, or issue facing our profession with an innovative change or improvement.

    Mentor of the Year Award—Recognizes an individual who selflessly demonstrates leadership and the ability to serve as a quality mentor to one or more individuals.

    NACE Catalyst Award ($1,500 provided by NACE)—Awarded to an HR/recruiting individual early in their career who demonstrates strong leadership potential and innovative contributions to the HR/recruiting profession and NACE. Typically, award nominees and winners have between 3–7 years of work experience in the HR/recruiting profession. Previous Winners

    NACE/DirectEmployers Catalyst Award

    2019 Winner
    Christine Foster, UnitedHealth Group

    2018 Winner
    Michael Borrelli, The Vanguard Group

    2017 Winner
    Tabatha Cates-Powell, Enterprise Holdings

    2016 Winner
    Maura Quinn, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company

    2015 Winner
    Jill Miller, Novo Nordisk Inc.

    NACE Rising Star Award ($1,500 provided by NACE)—Awarded to a career services professional early in their career who demonstrates strong leadership potential and innovative contributions to the career services profession and NACE. Typically, award nominees and winners have between 3–7 years of work experience in the career services profession. Previous Winners

    NACE Rising Star Award Winners

    2019 Winner
    Ashley Byrd-White, University of South Carolina – Columbia

    2018 Winner
    Kristin Walker, Clemson University

    2017 Winner
    Laurence Jackson III, Northwestern University

    2016 Winner
    Samantha Haimes, Middlebury College

    2015 Winner
    Kevin Grubb, Villanova University

    2014 Winner
    Chaim Shapiro, Touro College

    2013 Winner
    Christine Cruzvergara, George Mason University

    2012 Winner
    William Alfred Jones, Jr., University of Maryland – College Park

    2011 Winner
    Heather Maietta, Nichols College

    2010 Winner
    Lauren Pasquarella Daley, University of Florida Career Resource Center

    2009 Winner
    Farouk Dey, Stanford University

    2008 Winner
    Ignacio Gallardo, University of California-Santa Barbara

    The Kauffman Award—Acknowledges the accomplishments and contributions of Warren E. Kauffman, who served the association for more than 30 years. The recipient is recognized for making a tangible contribution to NACE that significantly improved the association.

    Academy of Fellows—Recognizes individual(s) who have contributed to the profession through the advancement of knowledge, leadership, or excellence in professional practice.

    Eligibility

    All current NACE members are eligible to submit for an award.

    To ensure the integrity of the NACE Awards Program, Honors and Awards Committee members abstain from submitting for an award on behalf of their organization and withdraw from the ranking and voting process in any category in which an award entry is received from their respective organization. Those serving on the NACE Board of Directors also abstain from submitting award entries on behalf of their respective organizations.

    The deadline to submit for the 2022 NACE Awards is January 31, 2022.


    Questions?

    Please view the NACE Awards Program FAQ page or contact Cecelia Nader, Senior Executive and Volunteer Administrator at cnader@naceweb.org.

    Tips for Submission

    These tips are brought to you by 2020 NACE Award Winners.

    2020 Technology Excellence Award Winner
    Ursula Olender, Middlebury College

    2020 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Excellence Award Winner
    Jennifer Rossi Long, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

    2020 Member’s Choice Award Winner
    David Earnhardt, University of North Carolina at Asheville

    2020 Career Services Excellence Award Winner
    Sharon Mickens, University of Pittsburgh