NALS of West Michigan's 2010 Award of Excellence winner is Jeanne Grasman. The 2010 Award of Excellence was awarded posthumously to our dear friend Jeanne Grasman, who many of you know passed away very unexpectedly last summer at the age of 47.  For many years, Jeanne had been a member of NALS of West Michigan – serving on the board as well as chairing several committees – the most recent of which was the Awards of Excellence chair.  Jeanne was an integral part of our chapter and as a result of a $250 donation made in Jeanne’s name to the NALS of Michigan Scholarship Fund, we received a scholarship vest, which we donated to Jeanne’s employer, Varnum.   At our Awards Night celebration, Carroll Viele, Director of HR at Varnum, graciously accepted the scholarship vest and then presented our chapter with a check for a one-year NALS membership to be used for either a new or renewing member whose employer does not cover the membership costs.  Jeanne's friend, Cindy Lynema, also gave a heartwarming message about Jeanne. I know Jeanne would be proud and honored to receive this award.  Annette Jeltema, PLS, President of NALS of West Michigan   Every year NALS of West Michigan bestows the Award of Excellence to a deserving member of our local organization.  Nominations for this award are solicited from our membership.  Judges are chosen from one of the other  Michigan chapters.  All qualified entries are then submitted to the approved chapter and a winner is chosen.  The winner receives his/her award at the annual Awards Ceremony held in April.   Past Recipients
Candidate Criteria   Any NALS of West Michigan member in good standing with at least five years of legal experience is eligible to be a nominee, except members of the Committee and all former recipients of the award.   Nominees will be judged on the following basis:   Skills and experience in the legal field, such as legal secretary, paralegal, legal assistant, court reporter, legal support staff, etc.  (50%)   The individual shall be a current participant in the Association or one who has demonstrated a current participation in the last two years.  (40%)   Other activities, interests and volunteer work.  (10%)	Selection Process   Nomination forms and Eligibility & Judging Requirements are provided to the membership.  Click here for Memo w/ nomination form.   Any member may submit a nomination form.   Each nominee will receive an application form together with the Eligibility and Judging Requirements.  All application forms should then be submitted to the Award of Excellence Committee.    The Committee shall obtain letters of endorsement from each of the nominee’s three named references, ie, an employer, a member of the Association and a personal reference.   The Committee shall select another chapter of the multi-level association, from which judges will be chosen.  That chapter will select three of its members to act as judges.  These judges shall not be affiliated with any nominees for the Award of Excellence.     The Committee shall then submit all qualified entries to the approved chapter (all references to the nominee’s name, signature lines and letterhead text are blocked out).   All information regarding the nominees is kept confidential.   The winner of the award will be announced at the annual Awards and Appreciation dinner. Other nominees will not be acknowledged.	Eligibility for Nomination of Candidates Any NALS of West Michigan member in good standing, except members of  the Committee, may nominate an eligible NALS of West Michigan member.  Former winners are not eligible for the award.
(Information paraphrased from NALS of West Michigan Standing Rules.)   Award of Excellence nomination form Can't open the form?  Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Cheryl Zorn, PLS