CSHA has for many years recognized remarkable professionals and programs at both the district and state levels. That tradition will continue in person at Convergence 2025 in Pasadena! Please look for more information on nominations soon.
Honors
2025 Celebration of Excellence
Award Descriptions
CSHA has two main types of awards (District and State) which are presented to deserving individuals and programs each year at Convergence. There are also awards available to CSHA members from other organizations such as ASHA.
Deadline
Nominations for honors at both the district and state levels are due to honors@csha.org no later than 11:59 p.m. PST on December 31, 2024. Nominations that don’t meet submission requirements, or arrive after the posted deadline, will not be considered out of fairness to others.
State Level Awards
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, representing the highest honor of the association, is presented annually to up to two individuals each year. It recognizes sustained, outstanding service to CSHA and its strategic objectives, and to the profession at the district, state, national and/or international levels. An individual receiving this award must be a current CSHA member and have been a member (in any category) for at least 10 continuous years or 12 non-continuous years leading up to the nomination. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to up to two individuals each year, recognizes contributions to CSHA in support of the association’s strategic objectives. This may be represented by contributions across a number of organizational priorities, or to one major project or effort. An individual receiving this award must be a current CSHA member and have been a CSHA member (in any category) for at least eight continuous years or ten noncontinuous years of membership leading up to the nomination. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one individual or organization each year, recognizes distinguished contributions in the area of professional education, research, and/or clinical service to diverse populations, as evidenced by significant contributions and/or accomplishments in the field of communication sciences and disorders. An individual receiving this award must be a current CSHA member and have been a CSHA member (in any category) for at least five continuous years. An organization receiving this award must employ and be represented by an individual who is an active CSHA member and who has been a CSHA member for at least five continuous years or 7 non continuous years leading up to the nomination. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This recognition, which may be awarded to one adult and/or one child each year, honors consumers of speech language pathology and/or audiology services who have confronted and surmounted the many obstacles associated with speech/language and/or hearing challenges. The recipient of this award does not need to be a CSHA member. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria |
• This award, which may be presented to one student each year, recognizes a commitment to diversity and inclusion. The recipient will have their travel (airfare, mileage, hotel) covered, and will be reimbursed for Convergence registration costs. They will also be invited to join their local advisory committee. The recipient should show a dedication to working in the area of professional education, research, and/or clinical service to diverse populations, as evidenced by current contributions, lived experience, or detailed plans for future contribution. An individual receiving this award must be a current CSHA member at the time of nomination. This award may be received only once.
Criteria
• This award recognizes a passion and commitment to working with diverse populations with an outstanding commitment to making the services of our members and the profession more representative of and accessible to the diverse populations we serve. While this may be challenging to quantify, it may be represented by some of the following:
• Promotion of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health
• Acting as a role model to current and future students and leading by example in promoting diversity.
• Supporting diversity-related legislation, activities and issues in our field.
Nominations and deadline
• Any CSHA member may nominate a CSHA student for the MLDI. Students are encouraged to nominate themselves as well. The nomination must include:
• Nominee’s name, address, email address, telephone number, CSHA membership
status, university name and status in school.
• A written narrative, submitted
• Complete nomination packets must be submitted in accordance with the honors timeline. Nominations received after the deadline will not be considered.
Priority is given to historically under-represented backgrounds in the SLP field (e.g. – person of color, immigrant, gender diverse/LGBTQ+, neurodiverse and/or disabled, first-gen, multilingual and/or multicultural, etc.)
Download Nomination Criteria | This award recognizes individuals or organizations outside the CSHA association who have made outstanding contributions that exceed for-profit activities. The criteria for this award follow in the Award Criteria and Application Packets section. The recipient of this award does not need to be a CSHA member.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one program each year, recognizes an outstanding speech/language pathology and/or audiology program for outstanding clinical service, innovative service delivery models, the coordination of related program services, the use of innovative techniques in the delivery of services, and/or research activities that benefit the field. A program receiving this award must employ and be represented by an individual who is an active CSHA member and who has been a CSHA member for at least three continuous years leading up to the nomination. A program may receive this award only once.
District Level Awards
Every year, each district may honor members of the district with awards at the convention. The following are some guidelines:
1. Awardees are selected by the District Awards Committee based on the criteria established in these governing policies. For more information on the District Awards Committee, see the section on Committees.
2. The District Awards Committee submits a list of award nominees to the CSHA Honors and Nominations Committee by the deadline. Any individual may also submit nominations to the committee by the deadline. The CSHA Honors and Nominations Committee’s role is to ensure that the award criteria are met and to approve the award.
3. A member may only receive the same award once in a lifetime.
4. A member may only receive a single award in a given year.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one deserving individual per year in each CSHA district, provides recognition for service to CSHA at the district level. The recipient of this award must be a current CSHA member and have been a CSHA member (in any category) for at least three continuous years or five total years. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one deserving individual per year in each CSHA district, recognizes outstanding district-level achievement in the profession. The recipient of this award must be a current CSHA member (in any category) for at least two continuous years or three total years. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one deserving individual per year in each CSHA district, provides recognition to a CSHA member for making a contribution to their settings, patients and/ or community in their district. The recipient of this award must be a current CSHA member (in any category) for at least two continuous years or three total years. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award, which may be presented to one individual per year in each CSHA district, recognizes outstanding clinical and professional work as a speech-language pathology assistant, as well as for the recipient’s service to CSHA. The recipient of this award must be a current CSHA member (in any category) for at least two continuous years or three total years. This award may be received only once.
Download Nomination Criteria | This award may be presented to one student per year in each of the university programs in each CSHA district. It recognizes a CSHA student member who is actively enrolled in an SLP, audiology or SLPA program, and who has demonstrated excellent academic work and a commitment to their discipline. The recipient must be a current CSHA student member. This award may be received only once.
ASHA National Awards