Nomination and Selection Procedures for Service Awards

Note: the following procedures apply to all service awards except the USPA Chesley H. Judy Safety Award, which is provided on the Safety Day page.

Nominations

Any USPA member can submit nominations to the Membership Services Committee for any and all awards. The USPA Board of Directors charges its Membership Services Committee with the preparation of recommendations of USPA members who are eligible for major national and international awards, medals, and other special recognitions. The full board of directors have the responsibility for final action on these recommendations. The Membership Services Committee will consider only nominees who have served the cause and interests of skydiving in general and USPA in particular. A current member of the USPA Board of Directors cannot be recommended for any award during their term of office.

Nominations for all service awards must meet the following:

• Identify the nominee, including address and telephone number.
• Identify the nominator, including email address and telephone number.
• Prepare the citation in 30 words or less capturing the essence of the achievement for which the nominee's name has been submitted.
• In 100 words or less, give complete, concise details justifying the award to the nominee, with pertinent background information to assist the committee.
• Nominations for all USPA awards must be received at USPA Headquarters at least 10 business days prior to the winter USPA Board of Directors meeting.
• Nominations for all non-USPA awards must be received at USPA Headquarters before the next upcoming USPA Board of Directors meeting.

Previous nominations may be considered by the Membership Services Committee in future years without resubmission.

Selection

After a review of all nominees proposed, the Membership Services Committee will present to the full board a list of those nominees for which the board’s endorsement is requested. By a two-thirds majority and secret ballot in closed session, the USPA Board of Directors will select the candidates for the year being considered from those nominations presented by the committee.

If the USPA Board approves nominations for NAA and/or FAI awards, the chair of the Membership Services Committee will forward appropriate letters of recommendation not later than the deadline imposed for the specific award, in support of each candidate endorsed by the USPA Board, together with necessary supporting documents and evidence to the National Aeronautic Association. The chair will then follow up personally if necessary with each of the aviation organizations sponsoring the various national and international awards to ensure that USPA nominees are properly evaluated. Within 24 hours of the decision by the USPA Board of Directors to select or nominate a recipient, the President or his designee should notify the recipient of the board's decision. Once notification is made, USPA Headquarters will make the decision public.

The Chair of the USPA Membership Services Committee will compose or delegate an author for a suitable article to appear in Parachutist Magazine explaining the merits of the recipient and the reasons for the decision of the board. Headquarters should consult with the recipient on the time and venue for presentation of the award and it should be presented at an appropriate USPA event where many USPA members are likely to be present.