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COGEL Award

The COGEL Award is our organization’s highest form of recognition. It is conferred upon an individual or organization that has made a significant, demonstrable and positive contribution to a COGEL discipline (ethics, campaign finance, elections, lobbying or freedom of information). The recipient need not be a COGEL member but should be someone who is recognized as a leader, influencing important discussions or policies, perhaps even on a national or international level.

COGEL Outstanding Service Award

The COGEL Outstanding Service Award is conferred upon a COGEL member, or an employee of a member agency, who has provided exceptional service to COGEL. Outstanding Service Award recipients are those rare colleagues whose participation in COGEL activities have made our membership more valuable and our conferences more meaningful. 

COGEL Emerging Leaders Award

The Emerging Leaders Award celebrates the next generation of COGEL leaders who have significantly contributed to the COGEL community and demonstrate a commitment to strengthening and improving open, fair, democratic, ethical, and accountable elections and governments. This award highlights those who, while in the early stages of their careers, embody the promise and potential of COGEL.  The recipient should be a COGEL member with five or fewer years of involvement in the organization and/or conferences.

Past Award Recipients

  • 2024 – Mary Dawson, Canada’s First Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner
  • 2024 – John Dean, Former White House Counsel & news contributor, analyst, author
  • 2023 – Steve Berlin, Executive Director, City of Chicago Board of Ethics
  • 2022 – Amy Loprest, Executive Director, New York City Campaign Finance Board
  • 2021 – Michael McEvoy, British Columbia's Information and Privacy Commissioner
  • 2020 – Richard Briffault, Columbia Law School
  • 2019 – Carol Carson, Executive Director, Connecticut Office of State Ethics
  • 2018 – Wesley Bizzell, Sr. Asst. General Counsel & Managing Director of Political Law and Ethics Programs, Altria Client Services LLC
  • 2017 – The Campaign Legal Center
  • 2016 – Ann M. Ravel, Chair, Federal Election Commission
  • 2015 – Mark Davies, Executive Director, New York City Conflicts of Interest Board
  • 2014 – Lynn Morrison, Integrity Commissioner, Office of the Integrity Commissioner, Ontario
  • 2013 – James L. Sumner, Jr., Executive Director, Alabama Ethics Commission
  • 2012 – Judge Anthony M. Wilhoit, Executive Director, Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission
  • 2011 – Paula Franzese, Professor, Seton Hall University
  • 2010 – John J. Contino, Executive Director, Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission
  • 2009 – Ruth Jones, Professor, Arizona State University
  • 2008 – Lois G. Lerner, Director, U.S. Internal Revenue Service
  • 2007 – David E. Freel, Executive Director, Ohio Ethics Commission
  • 2006 – Kenneth A. Gross, Esq., Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
  • 2005 – Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada
  • 2004 – Dr. Herbert E. Alexander, Director, Citizens’ Research Foundation
  • 2003 – James Earl “Jimmy” Carter, Jr., 39th U.S. President
  • 2002 – Senators John McCain (AZ) & Russ Feingold (WI)
  • 2001 – Senator Carl Levin, U.S. Senate
  • 2000 – Lawrence M. Noble, General Counsel, U.S. Federal Elections Commission
  • 1999 – Rep. Christopher Hunter Shays, U.S. House of Representatives
  • 1998 – Michelle Malkin, Columnist, Seattle Times
  • 1997 – Judge Richard Goldstone, Chair, South Africa Commission of Inquiry Regarding Public Violence & Intimidation
  • 1996 – Kent C. Cooper, Assistant Staff Director for Disclosure, U.S. Federal Elections Commission
  • 1995 – Fred Wertheimer, Past President, Common Cause
  • 1994 – Father Joseph O’Hare, Chair, New York City Campaign Finance Board
  • 1993 – Frederick M. Herrmann, Executive Director, New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission
  • 1992 – Jeffrey B. Garfield, Executive Director & General Counsel, Connecticut Elections Enforcement Commission
  • 1991 – Stephen W. Stover, Administrative Director, The Supreme Court of Ohio
  • 1990 – Geoffrey Cowan, Chairman, Commission to Draft an Ethics Code for Los Angeles City Government
  • 1989 – Pierre-Ferdinand Côté, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Québec
  • 1988 – Robert M. Stern, Co-Director & General Counsel, California Commission on Campaign Financing
  • 1987 – Melvin Cooper, Director, Alabama Ethics Commission
  • 1986 – S. Stanley Kreutzer, New York Temporary Lobbying Commission
  • 1985 – Jean-Marc Hamel, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada
  • 2024 – Kristin Izumi-Nitao, Executive Director, Hawaii Campaign Spending Commission
  • 2023 – Shipra Verma, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Manitoba
  • 2022 – Paul Nick, Executive Director, Ohio Ethics Commission
  • 2021 – Darrin Lim, Co-Founder & Partner at Politicom Law LLP
  • 2020 – State and Federal Communications, Inc
  • 2019 – Thomas Hennick, Public Education Officer, Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
  • 2018 – Colleen Murphy, Executive Director, Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
  • 2017 – Amy Loprest, Executive Director, New York City Campaign Finance Board
  • 2016 – Nedda Massar, Deputy Executive Director, Philadelphia Board of Ethics
  • 2014 – Sarah M. Jackson, Executive Director, Kentucky Registry of Election Finance
  • 2013 – M. Nola Western, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Elections British Columbia
  • 2012 – Pamela B. Gavin, Superintendent, U.S. Senate Division of Public Records
  • 2011 – Michael J. Sullivan, Director, Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance
  • 2010 – Carol Carson, Executive Director, Connecticut Office of State Ethics
  • 2009 – Patricia A. Young, Assistant Staff Director, U.S. Federal Election Commission
  • 2008 – Kevin J. Kennedy, Director & General Counsel, Wisconsin Government Accountability Board
  • 2007 – Frank Daley, Executive Director, Nebraska Accountability & Disclosure Commission
  • 2006 – Terry Draver, Senior Analyst, U.S. Government Accountability Office
  • 2005 – Richard D. Balasko, Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Manitoba
  • 2004 – Mitchell Pearlman, Executive Director & General Counsel, Connecticut Freedom of Information Commission
  • 2003 – Nicole Gordon, Executive Director, New York City Campaign Finance Board
  • 2002 – David E. Freel, Executive Director, Ohio Ethics Commission
  • 2001 – John J. Contino, Executive Director, Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission
  • 2000 – David Maidenberg, Indiana State Ethics Commission
  • 1999 – Bonnie Williams, Executive Director, Florida Commission on Ethics
  • 1998 – Ron Michaelson, Executive Director, Illinois State Board of Elections
  • 1997 – Carol Kirk, Indiana State Ethics Commission
  • 1995 – Ron Gould, Assistant Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Canada
  • 1994 – Edward Feigenbaum, Director of Legal Affairs, Council of State Governments
  • 2024 – Michael O’Connell, Training Specialist, Detroit Board of Ethics
 

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