AFERM has two awards programs, one for individuals and one for federal agencies. Use these links to learn more:
AFERM Individual ERM Awards
We are pleased to announce that nominations for the 9th Annual AFERM Awards are now open! Submissions are due by 5 pm ET Tuesday, October 31, 2023, via the forms below. We look forward to receiving your application and supporting you in making a significant difference in the Federal ERM Community.
Please note that the awards are provided on a nomination basis. This means that to be eligible for an award you must be nominated by another individual.
Award Information
Each of these four awards honors a professional who has made a lasting impact on their organization as a part of extraordinary contributions to advancing ERM in the Federal Government. All AFERM Awards are limited to AFERM Members and federal employees, apart from “ERM Volunteer of the Year” which can be awarded to an AFERM Member who is not a federal employee. We encourage you to nominate your colleagues for the below categories:
ERM Professional of the Year
Applies to work that has only been accomplished over the past year, so one does not have to have had achievements during their entire career to earn this award.
ERM Leader of the Year
Applies to work that has only been accomplished over the past year, so one does not have to have had achievements during their entire career to earn this award.
ERM Hall of Fame
Showcases achievements over an entire ERM career.
ERM Volunteer of the Year
Honors a volunteer who has provided their time and effort to help AFERM and its members achieve all that we do.
For additional questions, please reach out to Daniella Datskovska at Past-President@aferm.org and Eliza Clark at eliclark@deloitte.com.
Past Awardees
2022
ERM Professional of the Year
Scott Nichols, U.S. Coast Guard, Office of Program Analysis & Evaluation (CG-PAE)
ERM Leaders of the Year
Jason Bruno, U.S. Department of Interior
Julie Chua, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
AFERM Volunteer of the Year
Soumya Chakraverty, RiskPro Solution, LLC
2021
ERM Professional of the Year
Melissa Reynard, Internal Revenue Service
ERM Hall of Fame
Larry Koskinen, Department of Housing & Urban Development (Retired)
AFERM Volunteer of the Year
Eric Chism, Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
2020
ERM Leaders of the Year
Marianne Roth, CFPB
Curtis McNeil, Architect of the Capitol
ERM Professional of the Year
Andy Tiedman, USDA
AFERM Volunteers of the Year
Edward Hau, ASR Analytics
Meredith Stein, National Institutes of Health
2019
ERM Leaders of the Year
Karen Weber, Department of Treasury
Jessica Southwell, Department of Labor
ERM Professionals of the Year
Kimberly Burnett, United States Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa/Financial Management
Neil Starzynski, Department of Labor – Office of the Chief Financial Officer
ERM Hall of Fame
Sallyanne Harper, Brookings Executive Education
AFERM Volunteers of the Year
Paul Marshall, MIL Corporation
Joshua Vogel, GSA
2018
ERM Leaders of the Year
Sherri Berger, CDC
Christine Jones, HHS
ERM Professional of the Year
Mai Shintani, FEMA
ERM Hall of Fame
Tom Stanton, NAPA; Former SES at the FTC
AFERM Volunteer of the Year
Sheri Francis, SIGAR
2017
ERM Leaders of the Year
Roy Wright, FEMA
Montrice Yakimov, Treasury Fiscal Service
ERM Professionals of the Year
Lindsey Coates, NCUA
Nahla Ivy, NIST
ERM Hall of Fame
Dr. Karen Hardy, U.S. Department of Commerce
2016
ERM Leader of the Year
Ken Fletcher, TSA
ERM Professional of the Year
Debra Elkins, HHS
ERM Hall of Fame
Doug Webster, USAID
2015
ERM Leader of the Year
Nancy Potok, Bureau of the Census
ERM Professional of the Year
Cynthia Vitters, DoED
AFERM Federal Agency ERM Awards
You are invited to submit a nomination, on behalf of your organization, for the 2023 AFERM Federal Agency ERM Awards. Organizations can self-nominate for one or both awards:
- ERM Luminary Award – for an agency that has achieved an advanced level of ERM maturity and demonstrates a sustained and broad range of accomplishment in the implementation and practice of enterprise risk management.
- ERM Notable Achievement Award – for an agency that has accomplished a significant and noteworthy achievement in establishing an ERM program over the past year or that has achieved impressive growth in the development of a previously established ERM program or that completed a significant action that resulted in demonstrating the effectiveness of its ERM program.
Eligibility
Nominations are open to all U.S. federal Departments and Agencies, including agency and bureau sub-components of Departments. Nominations below the Bureau level are not eligible for consideration. Within the Department of Defense, nominations may be submitted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, The Joint Staff, the Military Departments or Services, Defense Agencies, and Combatant Commands.
Key Dates
- June 15, 2023 — Nominations open
- August 31, 2023 — Nominations close
- November 28-29, 2023 — Awards Ceremony at the AFERM Annual ERM Summit
Evaluation
Nominations will be evaluated against the award criteria by a panel of current and/or former AFERM Presidents and Board members. Supplemental material or a discussion with the nominating entity may be requested by the panel if required.
Completing Your Nomination
To present your nomination in the best way, please read the following tips, and keep them in mind when completing your nomination:
- Nominations should be limited to five pages (excluding any attachments).
- Make sure your nomination is clear and concise.
- Focus on results and describe the specific outcomes and benefits that were achieved by your organization.
- Provide relevant examples to use as evidence of your achievements.
- Only attach documents that demonstrate and support your claims.
Award Notification & Acceptance
- Agencies whose nominations are selected for award will be notified in advance of the AFERM Annual Summit.
- A representative(s) of the agency will be asked to attend the summit to accept the award. In addition, agency award recipients may also be asked to participate in a session at the summit highlighting aspects of the award.
- A press release and other communications announcing the award recipients will be issued by AFERM. A draft of the release will be shared with recipients in advance for review.
Questions
Any questions about the nomination process can be sent to planning@aferm.org.