NextGen Awards
IAIABC NextGen Awards launched in 2017 as a way to recognize talented individuals under the age of 40 who are having a substantial and positive impact on workers' compensation, making a significant difference within their organizations, and leading the industry into the future.
2024 NextGen Award Recipients
The IAIABC congratulates the recipients of the 2024 NextGen Awards.
Matthew Cole, WCP
Lead Data Analyst, Medical Operations, NCCI
Melissa Coleman
Senior Vice President of Marketing, Ametros
Charles Cordova
Economist, New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration
Nazanin Esmaili
Manager, Advanced Analytics, Workplace Safety Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario (formerly)
Paul Hendrick
Director and Actuary, NCCI
Jeff Nelson
Commissioner of Workers' Compensation, Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation
The Award recipients will be celebrated at the IAIABC 110th Convention and in a 2024 issue of IAIABC Perspectives magazine.
2024 Finalist Nominees
The following individuals were finalist NextGen Award nominees.
Audrey Dorsey, Chief Administrative Officer, Insurance Services, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
Alexis Hildebrand, Admin Officer 2, Alaska Workers' Compensation Division
Johnny Meyer, VP, Strategic Partnerships, Ametros
Monica Thunem, Director, Strategy and Planning, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario
2024 Honorable Mention Nominees
The following individuals were honorable mention NextGen Award nominees.
Ashley Butcher, Underwriting Technical Specialist, SFM Mutual Insurance Co.
Virginia Cortijo, Special Assistant to the Chair, Workers' Compensation Board of New York
Reshaun Godfrey, Injury Management Supervisor, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Verolinda Granados, Quality and Support Manager, Utah Labor Commission
Britanie Hall, Program Specialist, Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation
Andrew Matheison, Research Analyst, Montana Department of Labor and Industry
Michelle Matthews, VP Operations, Aerie EDI Group
Aaron McGraw, Senior Director of Data Analytics, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Sheila Oliver, RN Case Manager, NurseWorks Northwest
Adedapo Orederu, Chief Diversity Officer, Workers' Compensation Board of New York
Jose Ramirez, Vice President, Account Manager, ProCare
Katie Sutherland, Claims System Analyst, Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency
Kaytlin Yorks, Customer Service Manager, Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Selection Committee Members
A committee of eleven industry professionals selected the IAIABC NextGen Award recipients from among the nominations. It is important to note that any selection committee member who works for the same organization as a nominee did not provide input on that nominee, and that selections were based solely on information received on the nomination form.
Stephanie Arkelian, Healthesystems (2018 NextGen Recipient)
Vincent Bell, The Black Car Fund (2021 NextGen Recipient)
Erin Bishop, Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission (2020 NextGen Recipient)
Shayne Garner, Ebix
Ceil Jung, SFM
Amy Kingston, Colorado Division of Workera' Compensation (2020 NextGen Recipient)
Heather Lore, IAIABC
Neil McSheim, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) of Ontario (2017 NextGen Recipient)
Jennifer Norleen-Beitel, Saskatchewan Workers' Compensation Board (2018 NextGen Recipient)
Mark Pew, The RxProfessor LLC
Jordan Russell, Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission