2026 HR Professional of the Year Award Nominations

The Northwest Ohio Human Resources Association (NOHRA) and WorkSpring are proud to present the 2026 HR Professional of the Year awards. We are excited to include awards in the following categories: Emerging HR Professional of the Year, HR Professional of the Year, and the Sheri Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award.

Our goal is to recognize outstanding Human Resources professionals in the Northwest Ohio community. Criteria for each award category is listed below. Please note that while awards are open to all HR practitioners in Northwest Ohio, preference will be given to current members of NOHRA or WorkSpring.

The Emerging HR Professional of the Year award honors an HR professional with one to five years of experience in the field, within a company serving the Northwest Ohio workforce. Nominees should demonstrate a strong commitment to professional growth through activities like certification, taking on stretch assignments, or engaging in volunteer work.

The legacy HR Professional of the Year award recognizes an HR professional with five to twenty years of experience. Nominees should serve populations within Northwest Ohio and exemplify excellence through their contributions to their organization and/or community.

The Sheri Caldwell Lifetime Achievement Award celebrates the legacy of our esteemed colleague, Sheri Caldwell, who embodied the qualities of an exceptional HR professional. This award is given to a distinguished HR practitioner with twenty or more years of experience. Nominees should reflect Sheri's values—integrity, professionalism, mentoring, passionate dedication to their work, courageous employee advocacy, significant organizational impact, and service to the HR community.

Please complete this form to provide your nomination. Note - Please submit this form multiple times to nominate multiple professionals.