NCSEA Leadership Awards are presented each year in the following categories. Call for nominations is held in the spring. For more information on the awards or scholarship program, please contact Ann Marie Ruskin, NCSEA Executive Director, at AnnMarieRuskin@ncsea.org.
- Outstanding Leadership Award – recognizes an individual who has demonstrated long-term outstanding management and leadership of an organization, team, project or initiative that has demonstrably impacted the child support program and inspired others, over the course of several years, to improve the child support program, serving the best interest of children.
- Emerging Leadership Award – recognizes an emerging leader or manager (fewer than 3 years in a leadership position) who has improved a child support program or has enhanced the child support program in its mission in the last year. This improvement is recognized as exemplary; that is, one to be emulated by others.
- Program Awareness Award – recognizes an individual or organization that has developed an innovative and effective approach and strategy to increase public awareness of the child support program or how child support enhances the well-being of children and families. Empirical evidence should be provided, if possible, to support the applicant’s case that their program/strategy has had a positive impact on the awareness and use of the child support program.
- Innovative Partnership/Collaboration Award – recognizes innovation in partnerships between a child support agency and any other group(s) that assists families. This includes, but is not limited to, collaborations between a child support agency and court or another agency, organization, or program serving parents, families or children.
SCHOLARSHIPS
In addition to the above awards, NCSEA is offering two scholarships to the annual NCSEA Leadership Symposium.
The New Leader Scholarship shall be awarded to anyone within the child support community who has been a manager for two years or less and demonstrates outstanding potential to improve his or her team’s performance. In addition to conference registration, membership and lodging, the scholarship includes travel expenses (airfare) not to exceed $500. Criteria include submitting a brief (150 words) statement on how the applicant would utilize information and networking gained in attendance at the Leadership Symposium and how he/she would then share that information upon return to the agency. In addition to the statement, the applicant’s manager is required to submit a letter of recommendation as well as a statement that, if chosen, the applicant will be able to travel to the NCSEA Leadership Symposium.
The Judge Ross Leadership Scholarship shall be awarded to an individual in the child support community from the conference host state. This scholarship includes conference registration, a one year individual membership in NCSEA and lodging (hotel room and tax) for three nights. Applicant should submit a brief (150 words) statement on how he/she would utilize information and networking gained in attendance to the NCSEA Leadership Symposium and how he/she would share that information upon return to the agency. In addition to the statement, the applicant’s manager is required to submit a letter of recommendation as well as a statement that, if chosen, the applicant will be able to attend the entire NCSEA Leadership Symposium.
The Howard G. Baldwin Memorial Scholarship shall be awarded to an individual within the child support community who, through exceptional leadership and mentoring skills, has made a significant impact on the child support program.
“Howard made such a difference in the trajectory of our work – and perhaps he made the greatest difference not by solely working to help shape the systems and structures in which we work; but instead through the relationships that he built and the colleagues that he supported and mentored – whose work goes on.” – David Stillman, Washington State, NCSEA past president
In addition to conference registration, membership and lodging, the scholarship includes travel expenses (airfare) not to exceed $500. Criteria include submitting a brief (150 words) statement on how the applicant would utilize information and networking gained in attendance at the Leadership Symposium and how he/she would then share that information upon return to the agency. In addition to the statement, the applicant’s manager is required to submit a letter of recommendation as well as a statement that, if chosen, the applicant will be able to travel to the NCSEA Leadership Symposium.
