Special Awards

This award is presented to an individual who has worked for the betterment of NCSEA, member organizations and the profession, to a degree that is beyond the norm of volunteerism. It is given to someone who has made a clear contribution to the organization and therefore to the profession. Nominees can be submitted by any SEA Member. NCSEA Board members are not eligible.

This award is presented to an individual for exceptional dedication and exemplary service to a member organization and to the profession. The award is named for Robert Cornforth, a founding member of NCSEA and treasurer on its first Board of Directors, and a member of OSEA. Nominations can only be submitted by SEA Leadership (any Delegate, President, Executive Director, or someone acting on behalf of the organization as a whole.) NCSEA Board members are not eligible.

The Susan M. Frey NCSEA Educator Award is presented to an individual who has a genuine interest in, and extraordinary talent for, effective instruction of practicing structural engineers. The award was established to honor the memory of Sue Frey, one of NCSEA’s finest educators. Nominations can be submitted by any SEA Member.

This award is presented at the recommendation of the NCSEA Code Advisory Committee, to recognize outstanding individual contributions toward the development of building codes and standards. It is given in the spirit of its namesake, a person who made a long and lasting contribution to the code development process. Nominations for this award come from the Code Advisory Committee. 

The Susan Ann “Susie” Jorgensen Presidential Leadership Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional leadership potential through their activities within NCSEA and/or their SEA (even if they did not serve in a formal leadership role). The award is to be bestowed on candidates who embody Susan’s passion, vision, and legacy of leadership in at least one of the following:

• • mentorship and support for younger engineers, women engineers and/or underrepresented engineers;

• • demonstrated leadership skills and/or visionary leadership in a particular initiative such as SE licensure;

• • active engagement at multiple levels within the profession, whether formal or informal.

This award was created to honor the late NCSEA Board President and advocate for the profession, Susan Ann “Susie” Jorgensen, who passed away in November 2020. Its intention is to award increased participation of emerging leaders and encourage recipients to engage (or continue to engage) in formal leadership. During the Summit, there will be a dedicated time scheduled for the recipient to meet and interact with current NCSEA leadership, ideally providing the opportunity to discuss future leadership roles within NCSEA or within the recipient’s SEA. Nominees can be submitted by any SEA Member.

The NCSEA Board of Directors reviews all nominations to determine the recipient(s) each year, except for the James Delahay Award, which is chosen by the Code Advisory Committee. All awards are based on worthy recipients and may not be awarded each year.

Each Special Award winner receives two complimentary tickets to the Awards Celebration at the NCSEA Summit. In addition, the recipient of the Susan Ann “Susie” Jorgensen Presidential Leadership Award award will be granted a complimentary Summit registration and a $1,000 travel stipend.

Click here to see past Special Awards Winners.