2024 Innovation & Leadership Award Winners

Nine Leaders from Eight States Received National Honors from ASC

Nine leaders from across the nation were recognized in Washington, DC on September 4 at the 2024 Innovation and Leadership Awards, hosted by America’s Service Commissions (ASC). The awards program is held each year to recognize the accomplishments of state service commission staff, commissioners, service programs, and champions of national service throughout the United States and its territories.

Congratulations to the following awardees!

Friend of ASC: US Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana)

Since 2005, ASC has given this award to leaders of national importance who have gone above and beyond to support commissions and the field of national service and volunteerism. This award is the highest honor presented by ASC and only for the most exceptional service champions.

Congressman Garret Graves is proud to represent nearly 800,000 people across south Louisiana. Graves brings experience in infrastructure, resilience, disaster response, conservation, and environmental and energy issues to the U.S. House of Representatives. During his tenure, he has been recognized for his work breaking decades-old logjams, finding new solutions to old problems, and using new technology to improve the efficiency and customer service of the federal government. Garret has been ranked one of the most effective U.S. House members and has had several bipartisan bills signed into law by three different presidents.

State Service Leadership Award: Governor Spencer Cox (R-Utah)

This award recognizes state and local leaders who have taken concrete action to leverage national service and volunteerism to meet their community’s most pressing needs in a strategic or unique way.

Gov. Spencer J. Cox is a husband, father, farmer, recovering attorney, and Utah’s 18th governor. Gov. Cox has a long track record of public service, serving as city councilmember, mayor, county commissioner, state legislator, and lieutenant governor before being sworn in as governor in January 2021. With a focus on solutions, Gov. Cox promotes respect in politics and innovation in government, works across party lines to find common ground, and regularly participates in hands-on service projects. These elements were the foundation of his National Governor’s Association Chair’s Initiative, “Disagree Better: Healthy Conflict for Better Policy.”

Outstanding Commissioner: Phil Rutherford (Minnesota)

As board members who provide essential guidance and oversight, commissioners are a critical component of state and territorial service commission success. The counsel they provide commission staff is invaluable in advancing national service and volunteering throughout the country.

Phil Rutherford is the Strategy Lead — Substance Abuse for the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the Chair of the ServeMinnesota Board of Directors. He is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, a passionate member of the Recovery Community, and possesses a self-described Doctorate from the School of Hard Knocks. Phil has a BA in Psychology with a specialization in Substance Use Disorders. Phil’s experience as Director of Operations at Faces & Voices of Recovery and Recovery Is Happening in Rochester, MN offered a front-row seat into the world of Recovery Community Organizations. Prior to that, Phil spent most of his career in corporate sales, marketing, and management at Microsoft, Micron Electronics, and companies within the Taylor Corporation. Phil is an active member of the Minnesota recovery community and has considerable experience in the areas of Substance Use Disorders, Recovery, and Re-Entry.

Outstanding Commission Executive Director: Philip Kolling (Vermont)

This award is reserved for an individual who demonstrates unparalleled leadership and innovative thinking to get things done in their state.

Philip Kolling has spent his career in the AmeriCorps world! In May 2013, Phil was appointed Executive Director of SerVermont, Vermont’s Commission on National and Community Service, where he has served since. Previously, Phil founded SerVermont’s AmeriCorps VISTA Umbrella Project and served two terms as an AmeriCorps member in Vermont and Maine working with youth and building trails. Phil resides in Graniteville, Vermont with his wife, two sons, Golden Retriever, and some old chickens. Biking, hanging out at the lake, unsuccessfully trying to keep up with his sons skiing, renovating decrepit boats, drinking coffee, Henry (the Golden Retriever), and wearing flannel are some of the things he enjoys most. Phil holds an MS in Management of Mission Driven Organizations from Marlboro College Graduate School and a BS in Community Development from the University of New Hampshire.

Outstanding Commission Staff: Beth Tailleur (New York)

This award is reserved for an individual commission staff member who demonstrates leadership, implements innovative strategies to get things done, and provides consistent service to programs to realize success.

Beth Tailleur has proudly been a part of the New York State Commission on National and Community Service staff since its formation in 1994. As Director of Programs, she helps organizations in New York develop and operate quality AmeriCorps programs that meet state and federal requirements. Beth previously worked in the New York State Legislature and with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities as a legislative staff member. Beth is very active in her community, serving as a volunteer with the Greene County Branch of the Capital District YMCA (CDYMCA). She spends as much time as possible enjoying her family, her gardens, and the beautiful Hudson Valley. 

Outstanding Service Program: Maggie’s Place AmeriCorps (Arizona)

Service programs are organizations that commit themselves to making a difference in their communities by leveraging the power of national and/or community service. The award winner in this category must perform meaningful service, maintain a strong record of compliance, and demonstrate a lasting impact on their members, community, and state.

Maggie’s Place AmeriCorps members spend a year or summer living with pregnant and parenting women formerly experiencing homelessness who are now housed in a loving, caring environment at Maggie’s Place in the greater Phoenix, Arizona area. Using a trauma-informed care approach, AmeriCorps Stability Mentors are on the front lines of the fight to overcome Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and break the relentless cycle of poverty. AmeriCorps members at Maggie’s Place transform lives through hope, love, and a dedication to servant leadership. AmeriCorps members live in the maternity homes alongside mothers, their babies, and teammates sharing meals, doing chores, celebrating accomplishments, and working through hard things together. Members take initiative in a variety of situations that range from a mom going into labor, to roommate conflicts, to showing hospitality to visitors and new community members. They create a safe, welcoming, home-like environment for mothers so the mothers can focus on achieving their goals of stability and independence.

Outstanding Service Program Staff: Mary Zanotti (Colorado)

Operating a service program is no small feat. It takes a tremendous amount of time, effort, and vision, as well as a commitment to continuous learning. This award is reserved for an individual service program staff member who has demonstrated consistent leadership and dedication to get things done through service.

For over 20 years Mary Zanotti has worked in many different capacities changing the lives of young people in Colorado. Mary has been a leader within Colorado Youth for a Change (CYC) since 2008, during which time she has overseen dramatic growth. Mary was appointed as CYC’s Executive Director in July 2015 and was previously Associate Director. Prior to her work at CYC, Mary worked for Urban Peak, a local nonprofit serving youth experiencing homelessness. Mary earned her B.S. in Psychology and her M.A. in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado. 

Honor Roll: Emily Haber (Massachusetts) and Audrey Suker (Minnesota)

ASC created the Honor Roll in 2016 to recognize former commission leaders who have blazed a trail and left behind a lasting impact on our network.

Currently the CEO & President of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), Emily Haber has over 30 years of experience in planning and community development. Before joining MACDC, Emily served as the CEO of Massachusetts Service Alliance (MSA) for 15 years and as Program Director of Boston Main Streets. Emily has served on the boards of the MA Nonprofit Network, ASC, and Voices for National Service. She holds a BA from Vassar College and a Masters in City Planning from MIT. Emily loves to ski and snowshoe, which doesn’t win her many friends when she exhibits an unreasonable enthusiasm for snow.

Audrey Suker is an accomplished executive with over 30 years as a proven governmental and nonprofit leader. Audrey began her career as a counselor, later managing a state office for rehabilitation services and then a rehabilitation focused nonprofit. In 1999, she was hired to lead the Minnesota state service commission. During her nearly 24 years with ServeMinnesota, Audrey created new AmeriCorps state programs that were later adopted nationally, built a research and development staff at the commission, and developed important and innovative partnerships across the state.