Trailblazer Nomination

Purpose Awards · Senior CSR Leader

TheTrailblazer

A senior corporate social impact leader whose governance, strategy, and programs demonstrate significant business and social impact over time.

June 42027 Deadline
$300M+Min. revenue
CSR LeadNominee level
Start a nomination ↓All Purpose Awards
About the award

The leader setting the strategy

This award recognizes the corporate social impact department head, or a senior leader on that team with significant strategic responsibility, whose work produces measurable impact on social, environmental, or economic issues in the community and the business.

They set the strategy, influence C-suite and line-of-business executives, lead the team that brings it to life, and tell an exceptional story of corporate social impact that builds influence and interest inside and outside the company.

Questions? purposeawards@accp.org

Who qualifies
  • A senior CSR leaderThe department head, or a senior leader with significant strategic responsibility.
  • At a major corporationMinimum $300M in annual revenue.
  • Sets the strategyHas broad decision-making authority and allocates some or all of the budget.
  • Delivers measurable impactDrives results for the community and the business, and helps their team stay resilient.
  • Members and non-members welcomeThe nominee can be an ACCP member or from a non-member company.
Key dates

The 2027 timeline

NowNominations open
June 4, 2027
4
Step 1 · Nominations close

Submit your nomination using the application below.

July 2027
Step 2 · Status update

Nominators will be informed of the status of their submission.

September 2027
Step 3 · Recognition
Los Angeles

Recipients are announced at the 2027 ACCP Annual Conference in Los Angeles and are expected to attend the ceremony in person.

Before you start

Make your nomination stand out

The strongest applications tell a clear story, backed by data. Here is what ACCP recommends.

  1. 01
    Partner with your nominee

    Work together to create a thorough, data-filled nomination.

  2. 02
    Tell their story

    Think through the nominee’s story and program before you begin, and how you’ll tell it.

  3. 03
    Show what goes above and beyond

    Explain how this work goes beyond the organization’s day-to-day.

  4. 04
    Lead with measurable outcomes

    Impact is hard to judge without numbers. Highlight the individual’s contributions and outcomes rather than the whole team’s, where possible.

  5. 05
    Send supporting documents

    Have more for the judges to consider? Email it to purposeawards@accp.org.

Past honorees

Previous Trailblazers

See all past winners →
Erin Izen
2026
Erin Izen
The Home Depot Foundation
Michele Malejki
2025
Michele Malejki
HP Inc.
Justina Nixon-Saintil
2024
Justina Nixon-Saintil
IBM
Lynette Bell
2023
Lynette Bell
Truist Foundation
Brandee McHale
2022
Brandee McHale
Citi
Laura Nieto
2021
Laura Nieto
Southwest Airlines
KM
2020
Kevin Martinez
ESPN
KD
2019
Karen Davis
Hasbro, Inc.
2027 award application

Nominate a Trailblazer

Know a corporate social impact leader setting the standard? Tell us about them.

By submitting this application, you grant ACCP permission to use the information shared to create copy to announce and highlight the award recipient. The recipient will be highlighted and recognized at the ACCP Conference in September and in ACCP communications, including, but not limited to, the ACCP website, ACCP social media, and email communications.

All fields marked with * are required.

Nominator Information

Nominee Information

Application Questions

Question 1
Please describe the breadth and scope of the nominee's role and responsibilities within the company.
~100 words
Question 2
Please describe the CSR team's reporting structure, and where the nominee sits within it.
~50 words
Question 3
Is this person a senior leader?
Question 4
Please provide specific examples of how this leader has demonstrated expertise and innovation resulting in measurable impact in the community and company over the past year. Include relevant measurable results.
~200 words
Question 5
Please provide specific examples demonstrating this person's exceptional leadership of the team and/or influence in the company to accomplish significant impact goals. Include any challenges or barriers the leader has overcome, if relevant.
~100 words
Question 6
Please describe how this leader is driving innovative and impactful corporate social impact strategy forward on behalf of the company.
~100 words
Explore the awards

Other ways to be recognized

Trailblazer is one of five Purpose Awards. Three honor individual professionals and two celebrate teams.

IndividualC-suiteChampion for ChangeA C-suite senior leader who advocates for and elevates the importance of corporate social impact within their organization and across the business community.NominateIndividualEarly to mid-careerRising StarAn early- to mid-career professional delivering meaningful impact without formal authority.NominateTeam4+ membersTeam of the YearA CSR team, or a subset of one, recognized for an exceptional initiative or project that delivered strong business and social impact.NominateTeam3 or fewer membersHigh-Impact Small TeamSmall teams delivering outsized impact, often with limited resources, through creativity, efficiency, and strategic focus.Nominate
Back to the Purpose Awards

Thank you for your submission.