The 2025 APMP Honors Gala was a chance to pause, look back at what you’ve achieved this year, and shine a spotlight on the people and teams who are raising the bar for the bid and proposal profession. Hosted by Stacey Lee, Chair of APMP’s International Board of Directors, the Gala celebrated members whose contributions are driving growth in their organizations, their communities, and the profession itself.

It also landed at the end of a packed year for APMP: two new micro-certifications (AI and Strategic Response Management), record attendance at BPC Nashville, six digital events (including Winning AI, with more than 700 registrants), a revamped resources hub with a new article library and podcast, and two new Affinity Groups (Sober; Parents and Caregivers). APMP also welcomed its new CEO, Vani Ungapen.

Below is a breakdown of this year’s award winners and finalists.

Bid and Proposal Executive of the Year

This award recognizes an exceptional individual whose career milestones and contributions have made a lasting impact on the bid and proposal profession—helping shape best practices, inspire peers, and elevate standards across the community. This award was sponsored by Responsive.

Nominees

• Erin Andersen
• Georgina Giannelli
• James Farley

Winner: Georgina Giannelli

“Winning this award [affirms] the values I care most about as a proposal leader: elevating people, continuous learning, and leading with purpose and empathy,” Georgina says. “It [reflects] the shared success of this remarkable team.”

2025 Charlie Divine Scholarship recipients

Named in honor of former APMP Certification Director Charlie Divine, this scholarship supports up-and-coming bid and proposal professionals as they pursue APMP Foundation Certification. The 2025 Charlie Divine Scholarship is sponsored by Upland Qvidian.

2025 recipients

• Adeola Adeyemi
• Alejandro Perez-Cotapos Santis
• Barbara Smith
• Bill Webb
• Catherine Wallace
• Corina Kasior
• Gaurav Bhattarai
• Heather Doyle
• Hina Barot
• Holly Karr
• Iris Young
• Izolda Matevosyan
• Kathy Johnston
• Kristin Guthrie
• Louise Cameron
• Mary Joy Fernandez Liwag
• Meghan Burk
• Michael Edward Kelley
• Monique Winkler
• Nazirah Muhammad-Debellotte
• Prerak Bhalla
• Rachel Beirs
• Stephen Ross Kraft
• Taiwo Olawale Joseph
• Tamara Fuller
• Tomny Hang
• Richa Singh

Stephen P. Shipley Award for Chapter of the Year

Chapters are where a lot of the day-to-day community happens—events, peer support, learning, and leadership development. The Stephen P. Shipley Award for Chapter of the Year recognizes a chapter that has gone above and beyond to deliver an extraordinary member experience.

Nominees

• APMP ANZ
• APMP UK
• APMP Greater Midwest

Winner: APMP UK

APMP UK’s CEO, Lucy Davis, says: “For us, as a Chapter, [this] means a lot. It’s a reflection of a lot of work that we’ve put in this last year to give our members the benefits that they’re looking for and give them as much value as possible.”

APMP’s 40 under 40

Each year, APMP recognizes 40 bid and proposal professionals under the age of 40 who are already making a serious impact—innovators, problem-solvers, mentors, and rising stars to watch. This award was sponsored by Vultron.

2025 honorees

• Rodrick Patterson II, CP APMP
• Ahmed Hassan Alhifthi, CF APMP
• Anna Wakeland, CF APMP
• Aubrey Dexter, CP BW-M APMP
• Candice Stephanou, CF ES-M BW-M APMP
• Cíara Gilsenan, CF GR-M APMP
• Desiere Genet, CF APMP
• Eimile Mabry, CP APMP
• Sara Hekmaty, CF APMP
• Hong-Ah Do, CP APMP
• Jacie Schumacher, CF ES-M APMP
• Jenna Lagodziuk, CF APMP
• Jennie C. Arezzi, CP AI-M ES-M APMP
• Jennifer Bissot, CF ES-M BW-M APMP
• Kel Raleigh, CF APMP
• Kelly Compton, CF BW-M APMP
• Kirsty Hodgson, CP APMP
• Lashanth Vithiyatharan, CF APMP
• Lasya Prakash, CP APMP
• Laurens van Dijk, CAP APMP
• Libby McCurdy, CF APMP
• Lily Shain, CF APMP
• Mandy Barnes, CF APMP
• Margaret Vermeulen, CF APMP
• Morgan Barker, CF APMP
• Samantha Kalmar, CF APMP
• Samantha Keay, CP APMP
• Samantha MacMillan, CP AI-M BW-M ES-M GR-M PW-M SRM-M APMP
• Samuel Ruschmeier, ES-M
• Sara Levene, CF APMP
• Sarah Allin, CP APMP
• Shelby Holliman Carley, CF ES-M GR-M APMP
• Shruti Tekade, CF APMP
• Shuichiro Soma, CF APMP
• Shwetank Sharma, CF APMP
• Sivaraman S M, CF APMP
• Tamara Fuller
• Taylor Hilliard
• Tiffany Marie Pecoraro, CF APMP
• Virginia Cerda, CF PW-M SRM-M APMP

Chapter Leader of the Year

This award recognizes the individuals who make chapter success possible—volunteers who bring consistency, momentum, and care to the member experience in their regions.

Nominees

• Martha Swift (APMP Chesapeake)
• Mitsuhiro Seto (APMP Japan)
• Dr. Rodrick Patterson (APMP Nor’easters)

Winner: Martha Swift, CF APMP

“Who doesn’t love bragging rights?” says Martha. “Winning this award means a lot to me personally. My team understands the significance of the awards and APMP. It’s a
nice acknowledgement.”

APMP Fellows Class of 2025

The APMP Fellows award is one of the association’s highest individual honors, recognizing sustained, meaningful contributions to APMP and the bid and proposal profession.

Erin Andersen, CF APMP Fellow

Erin Andersen has spent more than 20 years in the profession, driving revenue growth across multiple Fortune 5 companies. She’s been a consistent champion of professional development—promoting APMP membership and certification, mentoring talent, and building inclusive team cultures. She’s also strengthened operational excellence through measurable improvements like reducing turnaround times by more than 50% and building large-scale content libraries to support efficient, high-quality proposal development.

“This recognition affirms my lifelong commitment to making a positive difference in our profession and people’s lives,” Erin says. “I’m deeply grateful for my remarkable colleagues and supportive leaders who inspired me and encouraged me to keep climbing.

Mairi Morrison, CPP CAP BW-M ES-M GR-M PW-M APMP Fellow

Mairi Morrison has worked in bids and proposals for 23 years and has been an APMP member for a decade. She has led teams across multiple regions, managed bids collectively worth billions, and advocated for APMP best practices throughout her career. She also served on the APMP UK Board for five years (including two years as CEO), helped guide the chapter to a Chapter of the Year win, and is recognized as a thought leader on mental wellbeing in the profession. In 2023, she became the first APMP member to complete every APMP certification available at the time—including micro-certifications.

“It means a lot personally and professionally to be inducted as an APMP Fellow,” Mairi says. “I’ve looked up to many people throughout my career, and respected and learned from them. To sit amongst them now is a great honor for me, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”

Bid & Proposal Team of the Year

The final award of the evening celebrated what it takes to win work in real life: alignment, coordination, and consistency under pressure. The Bid & Proposal Team of the Year Award recognizes collaboration and exceptional team performance.

Nominees

• Tech Mahindra
• TaskUs Commercial Bid Management
• Hitachi Creative Proposal Center (CPC)

Winner: A tie! Tech Mahindra and TaskUs Commercial Bid Management.

Congratulations to all our winners

A final shout-out to every nominee and honoree recognized during this year’s Gala—and a thank you to the sponsors who helped make the celebration possible: Responsive, Upland Qvidian, and Vultron.

APMP members can watch the recording of the APMP Honors Gala on demand here.