Communicator of Achievement Contest

The Communicator of Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by New Mexico Press Women and the National Federation of Press Women upon those members who have distinguished themselves within and beyond their profession.

The recipient, chosen from nominations by NMPW members, is recognized for exceptional achievement in the communications field, service to NMPW/NFPW and to the community.

All nominees must be living members, in good standing for at least two years in NMPW and NFPW.

A previous nominee can be named by an affiliate again, as long as he or she has not been honored as NFPW’s national COA winner. Specifics on building a nomination packet, rules for entry, nomination form and more will be posted here when they are announced by NFPW later this year. Also, there is nothing barring self-nomination.

For more information, contact NMPW COA Chair Loretta Hall, loretta@authorhall.com.

The COA Award winner will be announced at the NMPW annual conference.

The winner represents our state in the national competition with the national COA and the runner-up announced at the Communicator of Achievement Award Banquet at NFPW’s annual conference in the fall. Each nominee is featured in NFPW’s AGENDA newsletter prior to the conference and spotlighted at the awards banquet.

NMPW Communicators of Achievement
(called Woman of Achievement until 1991)

1963 Frankie McCarty
1964 Val Cooper
1965 Mildred Latini
1966 Ruth Bush Jones
1967 Kathryn Morris
1968 Cathie Bower
1969 Regina Tatum Cooke
1970 Alice Gruver
1971 Mary Olin Harrell
1972 Laura Robertson
1973 Glenna Lee Gallemore
1975 Grace McCallum
1979 Kathryn Morris
1980 Sherry Robinson, National First Runner-Up
1981 Faye Plank, National Winner
1982 Tricia Hurst
1983 Jean Jordan
1984 Della Kilcrease
1985 Mary Thompson
1986 Lynn Peters
1987 Marie Hirst
1988 Anne Hillerman
1989 Mamie Carter
1990 Mamie Carter
1991 Cathy Robbins
1992 Marsha Vohs
1993 Pat Graff
1994 Hollis Walker
1995 Denise Tessier, National First Runner-Up
1996 Virginia Dooley
1997 Linda Harris
1998 Chris Burroughs
1999 Carolyn Mullenax Edwards
2000 Sandy Schauer
2003 Susanne Burks
2004 Kathy Cordova
2005 Ree Strange Sheck, National Winner
2006 Emily Drabanski
2007 Connie Gotsch
2008 Cary Herz, National Winner
2009 Susan Walton
2010 Tom Berner
2011 Bud Russo
2012 Cheryl Fallstead
2013 Carol Kreis
2014 Sherri Burr
2015 Anne Hillerman, National First Runner-Up
2016 Loretta Hall, National Winner
2018 Jessica Savage
2020 Damien Wills
2021 Sherri Burr, National Winner
2022 Margaret Cheasebro
2023 Leonie Rosenstiel

Note: No awards were made in 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 2001, 2002, 2017 or 2019.