Great Work Deserves Recognition

On September 27, 2007, it was my honor to present the Virginia Payroll Professional of the Year Award to Laura L. Swecker, CPP. Several individuals were nominated and each was a viable candidate for the award. Making the selection was not easy. Laura received multiple nomination letters from her management, co-workers and friends in the Richmond Chapter. This fact along with her leadership qualities and volunteerism are just some of the reasons she was chosen.


Previous winners of the Virginia Payroll Professional of the Year Award are Diana Bernier, Dawn Flora, Betty Martin, Abby Mills and Chris Garner.

Will you be next? Will it be someone with whom you work? Keep in mind all the things that you all do to promote the Payroll Profession.

Find out at the 8th Annual Virginia Statewide Payroll Conference.

Judging Criteria for the Payroll Professional of the Year:

Achievements: Detail the achievements of the nominee and demonstrate how these have advanced the payroll profession and its positive visibility.

Awards: List awards and other forms of recognition the nominee has received.

Professional Service: Cite offices, committee assignments and other examples of the nominee's service to their local payroll organizations.

Judging Procedures: All entries will be evaluated and the winner chosen by a panel of past recipients.

Nominations: Any individual may nominate a candidate in a payroll related field. Each nomination must include:

• A completed and signed nomination form.
• A summary of qualifications limited to 1 typed page addressing the judging criteria.
• One letter of recommendation. Please note no more than one letter of recommendation will be considered. The letter needs to substantively address the criteria for the award.

Click here to download a
PDF nomination form for the
Payroll Professional of the Year.

Winner's Obligation: At the following year's conference, the winner will be asked to speak on behalf of the payroll profession and to present the award to the next year's winner. They will need to serve on the judging committee for 3 consecutive years.

To avoid a conflict of interest, previous winners are not eligible to receive this award during the year they serve on the judging committee. For 2008, the following people are not eligible for nomination: Abby Mills, Chris Garner and Laura Swecker.

Deadline for nominations is September 19, 2008