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The AFS Emerging Leaders Mentorship Award Program was established to develop future leaders of the Society, and the fisheries profession as a whole, by providing selected candidates an opportunity to participate for one year in activities of the AFS Governing Board. Candidates must be full AFS members in good standing who submit complete application packages. Awardees will be paired with a mentor who is a member of the Governing Board and will be awarded up to $500 to offset costs associated with attending the governance meetings, held in conjunction with the annual AFS Meeting.
Submit Your Application
Applications should be submitted electronically through the AFS Awards submission site at https://afsawards.awardsplatform.com/ Materials should include a cover letter to address award criteria and any additional supporting materials as needed. Applicants are strongly encouraged to focus on their professional service experience, including involvement with AFS, and interest in developing leadership skills. The ELMA Program is not a scholarship or a research award program, so please do not include extensive information about your research interests, graduate work, etc.
The Awards Committee is dedicated to AFS goal of increasing diversity and inclusion within our Society. As part of this effort, we highly encourage nominations for individuals from historically underrepresented groups in the fisheries field.
2023 award nominations should be submitted online: https://afsawards.awardsplatform.com/
Nominations are due April 1, 2023.
Contact: Michael Colvin, Committee Chair
Past Award Recipients
2014 Justin Davis, Patrick Cooney, Cari-Ann Hayer, and Steve Midway
2015 Alix Blake, Karen M. Dunmall, Gretchen J. A. Hansen, and Jeffrey Jolley
2016 Michael Moore, Dan Nelson, Patrick Shirey, and Sara Turner
2017 Dan Dauwalter, Hilary Meyer, Patrick O’Rouke, and Sara Turner
2018 Nathaniel Lederman, Abigail Lynch, Cheyenne Owen, and Daniel Weaver
2019 Aaron Bunch, Nick Kramer, Brooke Penaluna, and Heather Stewart
2020 Janessa Esquible-Hussion, Corbin Hilling, Michael Lawrence
2021 Brian Gallagher, Daniel Mosier, Christina Murphy, and Kaylyn Zipp
2022 Matthew Mensinger, Tyler Plum, Taylor Saucier, and Kiah Wright
2023 Kyler Hecke, Drew Holloway, Jo Johnson, Matt Wipf