Division Awards

The inaugural Distinguished Service Award was given to its namesake, Jennifer Ellison. Jennifer is a planner at the Polk County, IA Public Works Department. Jennie was our first secretary-treasurer. In this role, she was instrumental to standing the Division up and developing processes and procedures that set us up for long-term success. 

Rich Roths is a leading player in our professional development committee. When we lost our podcast host, Rich stepped up to lead the effort. Rich is also heading up an effort to develop a program of outreach from the division to university planning schools. In his semi-retirement, he has carved out a meaningful role that has made the rest of us proud. He is a model of productive volunteerism in retirement.

Allison Hardin is a founding member - and leader - of the Division. She was among our first Executive Committee Members, leading us in our formative years as our Chair. Allison also advocated for our involvement in the NOAA Digital Coast Project, which won a Divisions Council Award.

Kelly has been a member of the Professional Development Committee and a committed volunteer for years. Through job and role changes, she's steadfastly made time to help support all HMDR members in her spare time. Kelly is the Division's webinar coordinator, a role she originated and has helped institutionalize over the past few years. Kelly challenges us to provide high-quality, diverse educational opportunities to bring our members. She's helped us be thoughtful about what content we showcase and helped us document our processes so that anyone can lead a webinar.