NAHMMA Awards
2026 Award Recipients Have Been Chosen
We’re excited to share that the NAHMMA Awards Committee has selected the 2026 award recipients. Thank you to all who submitted nominations and helped highlight the incredible work happening across the hazardous materials community. We look forward to celebrating our awardees at the 2026 NAHMMA Conference in Nashville.
NAHMMA’s members play an outsized role in the organization’s health, growth and communication of its message. NAHMMA members and their communities deserve recognition. This makes the NAHMMA awards such a critical part of our conference every year.
Through awards NAHMMA honors the people and programs transforming the industry:
- Trailblazing folks who started essential programs
- Visionary policymakers
- Longstanding programs with a history of innovation, safe operations, and excellent customer service.
- Industry partners who support programs through stewardship initiatives and conference participation.
- Up-and-coming professionals
…and so much more.
PRESTIGE AWARDS
- Agent of Change in memory of Bob Fletcher - For an individual who goes "above and beyond" to make a difference. The individual consistently achieves outstanding results and works diligently and creatively to protect people and the environment
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Excellence – For a long-standing program that has consistently gone above and beyond to help with the community and this profession.
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Innovation - For a program using recycling/reuse strategies, educational strategies resulting in behavior change, and/or hazard reduction strategies.
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Outreach - To recognize unique and effective outreach methods.
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Partnership - To recognize a partnership between two different entities that have worked together to accomplish a goal that is supportive of NAHMMA’s mission statement.
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Policy - To recognize a policy enacted at the federal, state, or local, over the past year that best addresses NAHMMA's mission statement.
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Rising Star - To recognize an individual or program that is new to the industry for (1-2 years) and has demonstrated outstanding potential and achievement in their field, quickly gaining recognition for their talent and dedication.
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Safety in memory of Bill Lewry - For an individual or program exhibiting excellence in safety, which can include a long-standing safety record, or an improved safety record.
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Service - To recognize an individual for outstanding service in promoting pollution prevention and/or the reduction of hazardous components in the waste stream helping to promote NAHMMA's mission statement.
Spirit in memory of Sherrie Walker - For an individual attending NAHMMA events who works to improve the quality of the attendee’s experience. Someone who demonstrates the energy and desire to help by interacting with other attendees, removing obstacles with grace, persistence, and with good humor. Someone who problem solves, networks with, connects to, welcomes, and engages with members and non-members alike at our NAHMMA events. “Spirited, Helpful, Energetic, Resourceful, Responsive, Indubitable, Everyone’s Champion."
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GOLDEN BUNG "LIGHTER SIDE" NAHMMA AWARDS
As we all know, work in the HHW world can be kind of crazy sometimes. To recognize the strangest, scariest and/or the coolest thing that happened this year, NAHMMA gives awards, for this, the "Lighter Side" of the field.
