During the June meeting of the ASSA Board of Directors, the board voted unanimously in favor of naming the Annual Founder’s Award in memory of ASSA former CEO, Laura Haas Knox. Like the Thad Cochran Leadership Award that ASSA presents every year to a public official who is a strong advocate for the shipbuilding supplier industrial base. The ASSA Founder’s Award was established to recognize a member of the association who has made a significant contribution to our mission and to the shipbuilding community and has inspired others with their leadership and vision. Laura received the award in 2020. This May, while she lost the battle to cancer, she never stopped fighting for the industry. During her term as Executive Director, COO and eventually CEO, ASSA saw a significant increase in visibility at the national level into shipbuilding supplier issues that resulted in policy decisions and legislation that strengthened a declining critical supplier base. She set ASSA on a course that elevated the concerns of shipbuilding suppliers to a national and even international level. In September, ASSA will call for nominations for recipients to be considered for the 2023 award. ASSA Chairman, Chris Cikanovich also announced that he is working to establish a scholarship in her name at her high school alma mater, Our Lady Academy. Those wishing to contribute to this endowed scholarship in her memory should contact Chris at 443-373-3346 or by email at ccikanovich.cei@gmail.com
Comments