AFERM has two awards programs, one for federal agencies and one for individuals.
AFERM ERM Awards for Government
- ERM Luminary Award – For a government entity that has achieved an advanced level of ERM maturity and demonstrates a sustained and broad range of accomplishment in the implementation and application of enterprise risk management to organizational processes and practices.
- ERM Notable Achievement Award – For a government entity 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, as reflected in improved organizational processes and practices.
Eligibility
Nominations are open to government entities within the United States.
U.S. Federal Departments and Agencies: Nominations are open to agencies 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.
State and Local Government Entities: Nominations are open to state-wide, county-wide or city-wide programs or to government departments within any of these entities (e.g., Water Department, Department of Emergency Management, Health Department, etc.). Nominations below the department level are not eligible for consideration.
(Note: There is a 5-year waiting period before previous recipients of the Luminary Award
can submit a new nomination for the Luminary Award. There is no restriction on award winners submitting new nominations for the Notable Achievement Award.)
Key Dates
- June 1, 2025 — Nominations Open
- August 15, 2025 — Nominations Close
- October 21-22, 2025 — Awards Ceremony at the AFERM Annual Summit (postponed to Spring 2026)
Evaluation
Nominations will be evaluated against the award criteria by a panel of current and/or former AFERM Presidents, Board members, and committee chairs. 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:
- There is a 750-word limit to the answer for each question for the Luminary Award, and a 500-word limit to the answer for each question for the Notable Achievement Award.
- Make sure your nomination is clear and concise.
- Focus on results and describe the specific outcomes and benefits that your organization achieved by implementing ERM.
Award Notification & Acceptance
- Government entities 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 a session at the Summit where the awards will be announced and to participate in a discussion with other award recipients 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 erm-awards@aferm.org.
AFERM Individual ERM Awards
Award Information
Each of these awards honors a professional who has made a lasting impact on their organization and/or the field of ERM as a part of extraordinary contributions to advancing ERM. Award nominations are open to all government organization employees – federal, state, and local.
The call for nominations closed Sunday, September 28, 2025, for the following categories:
ERM Professional of the Year
Applies to work that has been accomplished over the past year regarding outstanding performance and contributions in the development, implementation, or advancement of ERM practices.
ERM Leader of the Year
Applies to work that has been accomplished over the past year demonstrating excellence in championing ERM within their organization or the broader community.
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.
Past Awardees
2025
ERM Luminary Award
King County, Washington
ERM Notable Achievement Award
City of Norfolk, Virginia
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
ERM Professional of the Year
Clio Grillakis, U.S. Department of Commerce
ERM Leader of the Year
Marshelle Richardson, Government of the District of Columbia
2024
ERM Luminary Award
U.S. Treasury Department
ERM Notable Achievement Award
NOAA
Veterans Benefits Administration
ERM Hall of Fame Award
Thomas Brandt, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
ERM Professional of the Year
Darlene Bennett, Manpower and Training (N1), Chief of Naval Personnel
Meer Susey, United States Agency for International Development
ERM Leader of the Year
Isabel Luengo McConnell, National Labor Relations Board
AFERM Volunteer of the Year
John Zimmerman, Castro & Company
AFERM/GMU CRO Program Scholarship
Karrenthya Simmons, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
AFERM/RIMS-CRMP-FED Scholarship
Noha Gaber, Environmental Protection Agency
2023
ERM Luminary Award
Internal Revenue Service
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
ERM Notable Achievement Award
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Veterans Health Administration
ERM Professional of the Year
Jacob Lee, US Dept. of the Interior
ERM Leader of the Year
Sarah (SJ) Lynch, Food and Drug Administration, US Dept. of Health and Human Services
AFERM Volunteer of the Year
Melissa Thomson, City of Phoenix, Arizona
AFERM/GMU CRO Program Scholarship
Melissa Thomson, City of Phoenix, Arizona
AFERM/RIMS-CRMP-FED Scholarship
Bradley Grams, Federal Aviation Administration
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
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