All NAAEI Designate Awards nominees must be designates in good standing, have held a NAAEI designation for at least one year, and have a minimum of two years of rental housing experience. Please provide one copy of the submission. Submissions will also be accepted online via the form below.

General Criteria for all Nominees

• Local Association Recommendation – 1 page maximum (10 points)
  • Association name, contact, title, address, phone, fax, e-mail
  • Summary of nominee’s contributions to the association and industry
• Supervisor Recommendation – 1 page maximum (10 points)
  • Name, title, company, address, phone, fax, e-mail
  • Letter of recommendation describing why the nominee deserves the award
• Supervisor’s Comments – 1 page maximum (10 points)
• Defined by designations listed below
• Nominee’s Qualifying Experience – 2 pages maximum (10 points)
  • List of professional designations and date received
  • Listing of industry work experience with current job listed first
  • Local, state and national apartment association involvement
  • Continuing or other education attended in the last 2 years
  • Civic or community activities in the last 2 years
• Nominee’s Statement – 1 page maximum, answer the following question (10 points)
  • As a designate, what specific contributions do you feel you have made to your company and to your industry and for which you should be recognized?

Specific Criteria by Designation

Supervisor’s comments should be made about the designate’s performance and his or her specific contributions to or display of expertise in at least the following areas:

• Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician (CAMT)
  • Maintenance of the physical asset
  • Effective repair and maintenance expense controls
  • Customer service and resident retention
  • Teamship and the role of team player
• Certified Apartment Manager (CAM)
  • Effective supervision of the site team
  • Sound financial management of the property
  • Customer service and resident retention
  • Enhancement of the asset value
• National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP)
  • Professional leasing and marketing practices
  • Accurate and timely office administration
  • Customer service and resident retention
  • Teamship and the role of a team player
• Professional Designate of the Year (note – this nominee must be employed at a middle to executive level, managing a portfolio of communities)
  • Achievement of portfolio financial goals
  • Team leadership and role modeling
  • Effective management and execution of multiple priorities and assignments
  • Development of industry personnel

Submission Deadline
Nomination forms must be received by April 18, 2008. Only those completed nominations received by then will be considered. The deadline cannot be extended.

Award Announcement
All nominations will be acknowledged in writing. Winners of each category will be notified no later than Friday, May 9, 2008. 

Award Presentation
Designate award recipients will be announced and recognized during the Friday General Session during the Education Conference & Exposition on Friday, June 27, 2008 at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. Each designate winner will receive a complimentary registration, hotel and travel to the 2008 Education Conference & Exposition and have his or her picture and story printed in UNITS magazine.

Nomination Criteria Checklist
The following information must be submitted in complete form as described in the Requirements Section for a nominee to be eligible for the Designate Award program selected:

• Nomination Cover Sheet
• Local Affiliate Recommendation
• Supervisor’s Recommendation
• Supervisor’s Comments
• Nominee’s Qualifying Experience
• Nominee’s Statement

Selecting a Nominee

• Local associations with standing award programs should nominate their local winners by submitting their own nominating package as long as the criteria as described in the NAAEI Designate Award program is met. No new package need be created.
• If an affiliate does not have an award program or award winners are not designates, an affiliate may still nominate as many qualified candidates as they choose to endorse.
• Any qualified individual may submit an application for endorsement by their local association.
• Individuals nominated in previous years, who did not win a PARAGON award, may be nominated again.
• PARAGON Award winners are not eligible for consideration again for the same award for 5 years.

Nomination Procedure

The local authorized affiliate representative should verify each nominee’s qualifications, complete and sign the recommendation. The local authorized affiliate representative should verify that all elements of the nomination package are enclosed.

• Nomination Cover Sheet
• Local Affiliate Recommendation
• Supervisor’s Recommendation
• Supervisor’s Comments
• Nominee’s Qualifying Experience
• Nominee’s Statement
• The local affiliate is responsible for monitoring, following up, assembling and forwarding complete packages to NAAEI.

Selection Committee
The Selection Committee consists of members of the Nominating Committee, one NAA Regional Vice President from each region, the Immediate Past and Prior Past NAA Chairman’s of the Board.

Selection Process
A standardized Evaluation Form is used to ensure that all criteria are met. Each Selection Committee member reviews the individual nomination packages and awards points based on the completeness and content of the responses. Up to 10 points are awarded for each of the following elements for a maximum of 50 total points.

• Affiliate’s Recommendation
• Supervisor’ Recommendation
• Supervisor’s Comments
• Nominee’s Qualifying Experience
• Nominee’s Statement

Once each Committee member has completed their individual review, a conference call is held to determine final winning scores. In the event of numerical ties in any category, each may earn the PARAGON award.

Return to PARAGON Awards Overview