Those who know the job the best, voted for the best…
and the winner is Marie Herman from Fermilab National Accelerator Lab

DeskDemon Announces Winner of Management Support Fellowship Award 2008

2008 has been an exciting year for the participants in the first ever Management Support Fellowship Awards at DeskDemon.com, Marie, as overall winner of this prestigious accolade will recieve a fabulous first prize of $15,000 prize for the achievement.

The winner of the this prestigious award, Marie Herman said: "It is such a great honor to be selected for this award. I am particularly pleased because it reflects the opinions and vote of confidence of my peers. This is a tremendous accomplishment and I am very honored that I was selected."

Marie supports the Head of the Technical Division as well as several Associate Heads and other Headquarter staff. It is normal for Marie to deal with meeting coordination, travel arrangements, PowerPoint presentations, and proofreading as well as traditional admin tasks. Some of Maries achievements include being asked to train others in her company on computer skills, review and recommending changes to an internal suggestion box project that in turn lead to a better final product. Marie mentors her peers and has successfully conducted workshops and seminars. Marie regularly contributes to DeskDemon’s forum boards and helps many with her Microsoft Office knowledge. She truly is an unsung hero of the admin world.

In addition to the first prize of $15,000, a further $2,500 has been awarded to the person who nominated her, Lisa Olson, adding an extra dimension to the exciting build up to the finals.

DeskDemon, launched in August 2000, is the world's largest online community specifically designed for Executive Admins, Executive Assistants, Secretaries, Administrators and Office Managers. Since its foundation the company has gained a deep understanding of its audience and continues to provide them with invaluable information and resources, hosting a community through which ideas can be shared and exchanged.

Its illustrious campaign to identify the industry's overall winner of the Management Support Fellowship Award kicked off in August 2007, with the first of 10 monthly competitions to find its 'Admin of the month'. The Awards culminated this month in the crowning of the ultimate winner, selected from the 10 monthly finalists during a four-month voting campaign which drew millions of votes from across the industry.

The Management Support Fellowship Awards are special not just because they celebrate the vital role of the Management Support professionals but because the winners have been elected by their peers. The opportunity to participate in the campaign was heightened by the prospect of being nominated and ultimately voted for by fellow management support personnel all across the US - attracting hundreds of applicants for each monthly selection and resulting in an impressive voting count throughout the campaign.

The profiles of the 10 finalists have appeared as a regular feature on the pages dedicated to the Awards at DeskDemon.com. Visitors could get a quick overview of all nominations from a summary of each candidate's credentials, and could rank their favorites and view the highest scoring nominees as the voting progressed.

Each monthly winner received a $500 cash prize and her nominator $100. The top prize of $15,000 is unprecedented in the industry.

The winner of the Management Support Fellowship Award 2008 is set to become a true ambassador for the secretarial community and can expect to address conferences, Webinars and industry events.

Read what others had to say about Marie: (Due to space we couldn't include all responses)

Michelle    Marie's endless energy and contributions to the admin community and IAAP have proved to be a valuable resource over the few years I've known her. I appreciate the brainstorming chats she hosts and the transcripts she posts for us. Keep up the great work and good luck. Colleen Neill    Marie is a great source of information on many topics regarding communication, technology, leadership and mentoring just to name a few. Teresa Tidwell CAP    Marie, I appreciate what you have done for members of IAAP! You certainly portray the "professional" in Professional. Carol R    Marie is well deserved of this award. She is polished, professional and a techno-goddess. Tisha Duggan CPS/CAP    Marie has demonstrated leadership in the face of challenge by leading Interchapter Chats on behalf of the IAAP (International Association of Administrative Professionals) even though they did not understand the significance of these chats. Marie is a strong leader. Dianne Seeks CAP    Marie is a shining example of being proactive. She is an inspiration and mentor to many members of IAAP and I feel fortunate to have made contact with her. Good luck Marie! Teresa Henderson, CAP    Marie is one of the most organized and intelligent Administrative Professionals I have ever had the privilege of being associated with. I have learned so much from her "Chats" through IAAP and stand in awe of her ability to create a message, written or oral, and get her point across in a concise, effective, and efficient way. Sheri Brogni, Owner, Champion Administrative Resources    Marie is a role model for leadership. She is passionate about sharing information that will help all administrative professionals and "raise the bar" for excellence. April Kelsey CAP    Marie is most deserving of this award. She has hosted the IAAP Brainstorming Chats for quite a while now, and I have benefited from each and every one. Her comments on the IAAP website foum are always useful and well thought out. She has a cheerful, positive attitude toward our chosen career and will go out of her way to answer any questions. Judith A. Yannarelli CPS/CAP    Marie's my friend and no one deserves to win more. She is an inspiration to administrative professionals. Marie is the best representation for the award and I fully expect that she will be the winner. Nancy Riesbeck    I cannot agree more with your "Key Nuggett" -- never lost the thirst for knowledge! Marie is a professional of professionals when leading very large on-line IAAP brainstorming chats! Mary L    Marie is an outstanding professional with superb skills. She is definitely a "people" person and capable of getting a large group involved and excited about participating in group efforts and learning opportunities. Bobbie Frye    Marie deserves to win. She has done a great job hosting the forums. Marlene Kollmeyer    Because of Marie's many activities at work and being devoted to IAAP and the betterment of its members through web chats, she deserves the appreciation from many. Nadine Baker    Marie is most deserving of this award! She's a leader and has done a great deal to promote collaboration and shared learning in IAAP. She is a wonderful asset to any organization. Theresa Yagielo    Marie is an extraordinary person and so awesome in the administrative field. Her ideas are so visionary. She motivates and inspires many.

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