Greetings AMI members from your new awards committee: Connie Grisier, Central region; Steve Jacobsen, Kansas City; Kevin McCarty, St. Louis; Janet Price, southeast; Lee Wilbeck, northeast; Chanda Williams, southwest; and Cyndi Cogbill, chair.
George Kastler, former chair, left the awards in good standing and we appreciate his years of service to AMI. Your committee decided to continue the direction that George started. Also, with a little tweaking, you will be able to align these awards with NAI National and Region 6 categories. Check out the revised categories below.
Outstanding Professional Interpreter (an individual with more than five years of experience that demonstrates a mastery of interpretation, management, mentoring…)
Outstanding New Interpreter (a part-time, full-time, or seasonal individual with less than five years in the interpretation profession that demonstrates an outstanding potential, skills, and commitment to the field of interpretation)
Outstanding Interpretive Volunteer (an unpaid individual conducting outstanding front-line interpretation or the support of an interpretive organization)
Outstanding Media (any interpretive media: article, poster, video, display, brochure… that is outstanding in its message and effort for an emotional and intellectual connection to a resource)
Outstanding Interpretive Effort (an individual, group, organization, company… for an effort such as an special event, outreach program, day camp… or support, financial or otherwise, of a site or program, that is outstanding in interpretation or the support of interpretation).
Nomination forms, criteria, and scoring information will come out in the next newsletter, but this is your heads-up so you may start thinking about all the super people in AMI that deserve your nomination!