Camarillo, CA – Awards were recently presented for outstanding contributions to the workers’ compensation industry at the annual Comp Laude® Awards and Gala Virtual Event, Thursday, December 3, in an online virtual event.
Over 330 attendees gathered online to attend the coveted gala-day events and awards ceremony. “The Comp Laude® Awards is the vision of our late founder and CEO, David J. DePaolo. He wanted to change the narrative of our industry and celebrate the good things that happen every day,” said Kristen Chavez, General Manager.
The Comp Laude® Awards borrows its name from the Latin term “cum laude” commonly used in the academic world meaning “with honor.” Awards were presented to individuals and companies representing many segments of the workers’ compensation industry, even injured workers.
This year, awards were presented in 13 categories:
- Applicant / Claimant Attorney: Thomas L. Holder, Esq., Gerber Holder Law
- Defense Attorney: Bill Pipkin, Esq., Austill, Lewis, Pipkin & Maddox, PC
- Claims Professional: Brigitte Becker, Frank Winston Crum Insurance
- Medical Professional: Geralyn Datz, PhD, MSCP, Southern Behavioral Medicine Associates
- Doctor/Physician: Dr. Adam Seidner, The Hartford
- Service Provider/Vendor: David Vittoria, LCSW, MCAP, ICADC, Carisk Partners
- Public Servant: Hon. David Torrey, Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
- Work Comp Humanitarian: WCI’s E. Earl Zehmer Moot Court
- Employer: Northwell Health Workforce Safety, Joseph Molloy
- Risk Professional: Janice Van Allen, Walmart
- Industry Leader: Margaret Spence, C. Douglas & Associates, Inc.
- Injured Worker Finalists: Brady Drake, Adam Driver, Nathan Hammack, Brad Hurtig, Adam Miller, Sadia Prema, Tess Sunderland, Janice Thompson
- People’s Choice Award: chosen by the audience using Text-to-Vote, Claire Muselman
The top two awards were presented to individuals selected for their career contributions to the workers’ compensation industry:
- Magna Comp Laude® (with great honor): Claire Muselman, Continental Western Group
- Summa Comp Laude® (with highest honor): also now called the David J. DePaolo Award, William Zachry, industry speaker, author, and formerly of Albertsons/Safeway and the Sedgwick Institute
For a complete list of nominees and finalists, click here (PDF). Next year, WorkCompCentral plans to host the Comp Laude® Awards and Gala event live in Huntington Beach, CA. Nominations are open now for the 2021 Comp Laude® Awards and are open to the industry. All stakeholders are invited to nominate a colleague here.
Source: Comp Laude/WorkCompCentral