Abel Wolman Award of Excellence

2022 Recipient

Benjamin Kuhnel

Award Criteria

DOWNLOAD THE ENTRY FORM

Purpose of the award:  An award of excellence to recognize those whose careers in the water works industry exemplify vision, creativity, and excellent professional performance characteristic of Abel Wolman's long and productive career.  The recipient of this award shall be exempt from paying membership dues.

The Award: A crystal on an appropriate pedestal to reflect the idea of vision, creativity, and excellence.

Frequency of the Award: One award annually or as deserved.

Eligibility for the Award: To qualify for the award the nominee must be an individual member or a duly appointed representative of an organization member of the American Water Works Association. To be eligible for consideration the nominee must have established himself/herself in the water works profession through career performance spanning a minimum of 20 years.
The nominee's work must exemplify vision, creativity, and excellence and must have had recognizable impact on the professionalism of the industry.

Entry Requirements: AWWA entry form including a color photograph portrait style, a career review, and examples of specific accomplishments. A nomination must be made by a section or the award committee, and it must include letters of endorsement from the following:

• The chair of the nominee's AWWA section.
• Three past Fuller Awardees.
• A regulatory agency executive.
• An active water utility manager outside of the nominee's utility, organization, or firm.
• A member of a consulting firm.

Nomination Procedure: The entry form and required support material must be sent to the American Water Works Association, Attn: Executive Dept., 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235. Nominees may remain under consideration for up to three years. Sections will be notified if their nominee has not been selected within that time. If the candidate is not re-nominated, his/her name will be dropped from the list. A candidate may be re-nominated.

Nomination or Submission Deadline: Nominations must be received by October 1 to be assured of receiving full consideration.

Award Committee Membership: The committee shall consist of the last five (5) Past Presidents with the most recent Past President serving as chair.  An Association staff member shall serve as secretary to the committee.

Method of Selecting Award Recipient: The award committee shall use its best judgment in selecting a candidate using materials and information submitted with the entry form. If necessary, the committee may solicit additional information, however, such information must be in tangible form. The committee shall report its nominee to the Board of Directors for approval at its winter meeting.

Presentation of the Award: The award will be presented at the American Water Works Association Annual Conference and Exposition or at another appropriate event.

Past Recipients