The APMP Florida Sunshine Chapter initiated our Chapter Honors program in 2016 to publicly recognize chapter members who have raised the level of proposal professionalism, contributed to our organization and advanced the arts and sciences of our industry. In addition to acknowledging the accomplishments of our colleagues, the program also raises public awareness of the proposal profession within the business community at large.

Our Chapter Honors recognize members who have achieved advanced levels of APMP certification, certification in related disciplines (such as project and contract management), attainment of advanced academic degrees and contributions to our industry through formal presentations and proposal related publications. We are proud to announce that this year's Chapter Honors Class includes:

Melinda Antonious, CP APMP
Certified Proposal Practitioner

Bethany Burton, CF APMP
APMP's 2018 "40 under 40" recognition 2018 Bid & Proposal Con Panelist: Competitive Intelligence and Intelligent Pricing

Kevin Brown, CP APMP
Certified Proposal Practitioner

Alyssa Feliho, CP APMP
2018 Bid & Proposal Con Presenter: Crushing It... It's Your Life

Lauren Hite, CP APMP
Certified Proposal Practitioner

Meghann Lewis, CPP APMP
APMP's 2018 "40 under 40" recognition

Javier Suarez
2018 SPAC Presentation: Making Proposals Personal

Vincent Overmyer, CP APMP
Certified Proposal Professional

This year we recognize Jennifer Siler as Mentor of the Year. Ruth currently holds APMP certification at the Practitioner level. A long term advocate of the APMP certification program, this year she answered the call to mentor a fellow chapter member through the process of obtaining their certification at the professional level, a feat Ruth has yet to undertake herself. A charter member of the APMP Professional Development Committee, Ruth actively works toward advancing the level of professionalism within our industry. As a Senior Proposal Developer for Companion Data Services for 16 years, Ruth has demonstrated to her executive leadership the value of having formally accredited resources on their team and the benefits of following industry best practices. This year marks the first year that her entire team holds APMP certifications.

The Stourac Award recognizes a member for significant contributions to the international APMP organization through outstanding service, volunteering, and mentoring within APMP raising the visibility of the Florida Sunshine Chapter within the association and the business community at large. We are pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2018 Stourac Award for Chapter Outreach is Alyssa Feliho. A Corporate Marketing Manager for Geosyntec Consultants, Javier has been a regular contributor to APMP's evolving body of knowledge as both an author and a presenter. Javier's insights into our industry have been published by APMP International in The Journal and Winning the Business and he has presented at our regional Southern Proposal Accents Conference.

Finally, we are pleased to announce the recipient of our chapter's highest honor, the Keller Award. This award recognizes outstanding commitment and contribution to the growth and reputation of the Florida Sunshine Chapter and to expanding the value of chapter participation to its members. The 2018 Keller Award for Chapter Service is presented to Ruth Turman. Currently a Business Development Specialist for Evergreen Fire and Safety, Bethany is certified at the foundation level, and has actively served on the APMP Florida Sunshine Chapter for three years. During her tenure as our membership chair Bethany has turned the role into one of proactive management of our most critical resource – our members! Bethany's enthusiasm for our industry is evident to everyone who meets her, which many of you did as she played the role of our mascot Sunny at Bid and Proposal Con in Orlando this past spring.

On behalf of the chapter board, we'd like to congratulate this year's entire class of honorees. If you would like additional information about our Chapter Honors program or would like to nominate a colleague (or yourself) for future consideration, contact our Promotions Chair.