About the Leader of the Year Award
The award provides a means for SIM to recognize member contributions to the growth, advancement, and excellence of SIM at the local level in 2021.
Individuals may nominate themselves or another deserving candidate within SIM. Anyone can submit a nomination. The selection committee will be evaluating all nominees and select four to six of the most qualified candidates, regardless of chapter size. All nominees will be sent a letter from SIM, recognizing their specific contributions.
Judging Criteria
The following criteria will govern the selection of the SIM Leader of the Year. Consideration will be given to the following demonstration of participation in SIM:
- SIM Chapter Involvement and Impact (50%) - The nominee's involvement, contributions and impact on activities and programs of their local SIM chapter
- Increasing Awareness of SIM (25%) - The nominee's efforts to increase awareness of SIM in their local community
- Nominee Recognition (25%) - Additional evidence submitted by the nominator why the nominee deserves to be recognized as a Leader of the Year. Include quotes from others in your chapter or related organizations that support the nomination.
Results of the 2021 SIM Leader of the Year Award
SIM is celebrating ten years of recognizing members who contribute to the growth, advancement and excellence of their local chapter. This year, five recipients were chosen by a panel of seven judges and were formally recognized alongside all 15 nominees last week at a Virtual Awards Ceremony for SIM Chapter Leaders.
Given the strength of the nominees, the judges felt it especially difficult to choose the award recipients, but in a carefully governed and objective scoring process, five finalists stood out. This year’s SIM Chapter Leaders of the Year are:
Raj Kurup, Chapter Innovator Award, SIM Fairfield/Westchester
Nellson Burns, Chapter Leader Award, SIM DFW
Stephen Landry, Chapter Leader Award, SIM New Jersey
Amanda Millett, Chapter Leader Award, SIM Boston
Dan Webber, Chapter Leader Award, SIM Atlanta
We are grateful to all 15 nominees who individually and collectively exemplify a commitment to building their local communities and living SIM’s brand “where IT leaders connect,” especially during the pandemic. We also want to thank the seven judges representing a cross-section of the country:
Pradeep Kumar, Co-Chair, Portland, 2016 LOTY
Heidi holder, Co-Chair, Wisconsin
Helen Norris, Southern California
Robert Rouse, St. Louis, 2013 LOTY
Elizabeth Decker, South Florida, 2020 LOTY
Matt Nerney, Boston, 2020 LOTY
Robert Jones, Charlotte, 2020 LOTY
2021 SIM Chapter Leader of the Year Nominees:
Lisa Schurch, Minnesota
Eric Gorham, St. Louis
Luis Beaumier, Tampa Bay
Bill Waas, Tampa Bay
Jesse Taylor, Las Vegas
Larry Di Gioia, Central Florida
Jen Boyer, South Florida
James Parks, Capital Area
Tom Keuten, Detroit
Raj Kurup, Fairfield Westchester
Nellson Burns, DFW
Amanda Millett, Boston
Stephen Landry, New Jersey
Congratulations to the 2021 SIM Leaders of the Year!