Chicago & Midwest Region
Our Partners
Welcome to the seventh annual Admin Awards serving the Chicago and Midwest Region which will be held in Spring, 2025.
The Admin Awards - Chicago & Midwest Region is our program's most convenient location for the following states, but anyone is welcome to participate in this program regardless of their geographical location.
Illinois
Wisconsin
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Ohio
Missouri
Minnesota
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Kansas
Kentucky
The nominations deadline for the seventh annual Admin Awards serving the Chicago and Midwest Region is in March 2025. There is no submission fee thanks to our National Sponsors, Southwest Airlines and The Beacon Institute for Administrative Excellence.
Nominations in support of Administrative Professionals serving as Chiefs of Staff, VP's of Administration, Executive Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Office Managers, Coordinators, Analysts etc. and those that represent the 150+ job titles that reflect the Administrative Profession. If the organization deems the role as primarily administrative in nature and the candidate agrees, we welcome the nomination.
The Admin Awards 'Good as Gold' Gala is a five-star, regional celebration of Administrative Excellence attended by Program Nominees, their Leaders, Coworkers, friends and family who gather to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of Administrative Professionals. All Nominees are celebrated with the iconic Admin Awards VIP treatment including a red carpet experience, curated high-value gifts for every attending Admin and the opportunity to win amazing Major Prizes exclusively for Admin attendees! During the Awards Gala the Finalists in each award category are revealed as well as the 9 Admin Award Winners. While the focus is on Administrative Professionals, Executives and Co-Workers alike enjoy this inspirational evening filled with quality food and beverage, the camaraderie of area Business Leaders and opportunities to get into a celebratory mood, with Good as Gold prizes for the best dressed and best team spirit. No wonder the Admin Awards is known nationally as the “Academy Awards for Admins!" Grab your tickets now and get ready for an evening you won’t ever forget!
About Colleen Barrett: Her Journey from Secretary to President of Southwest Airlines and the Award that Bears Her Name
The Colleen Barrett Award for Administrative Excellence is the most coveted and prestigious honor bestowed by The Admin Awards and is named after a legend in the administrative profession, a woman who first proved herself indispensable as corporate secretary to former Southwest Airlines CEO Herb Kelleher before ascending the ranks to President and COO of the Dallas-based company in 2001. Throughout her five-decade career at Southwest Colleen advanced from Legal Secretary to VP of Administration, to EVP of Customers to President and COO and President of one of the world’s most successful airlines. Since 2008 Colleen has served as President Emeritus of Southwest and is revered for her leadership and decision-making abilities, along with her dedication to ensuring the needs of customers, employees, and all other stakeholders are met. Colleen has won many business and industry awards including one of the most important, historic and visible aerospace awards in the world, the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy which reflects a timeline of the most innovative inventors, explorers, industrialists, and public servants in aeronautics and astronautics.Colleen Barrett and Herb Kelleher
Colleen is also a fierce advocate for the administrative profession and she understands first-hand the extraordinary impact that high performing Admins have on an organization’s success. The Colleen Barrett Award honors Administrative Professionals who are following in her hallowed footsteps. Barrett has long credited Kelleher with helping her to succeed: “If you have a boss who will let you stretch,” she said, then you have opportunities to learn. With the Colleen Barrett Award, bosses also have an opportunity to show superstar admins how much their dedication to excellence means — and how far they too can potentially rise. The award will be presented by Barrett to an Administrative Professional who best exhibits those traits that helped her have an extraordinary impact in her role as an Admin and include: high proficiency, shares the same values as their organization, is passionately committed to their organization’s purpose, demonstrates a legendary passion for customer service internally and externally, and has a heart for employee advocacy.Colleen Barrett presents the Colleen Barrett Award at the 2015 Dallas Admin Awards
Contribute A Major Prize and All Eyes will be on your Company at the Gala
The Admin Awards, referred to by many as “The Academy Awards for Admins” is accepting a limited number of Major Prize contributions which will be awarded during “Prize Breaks” throughout the awards ceremony. Past prizes have included all-expenses-paid vacations, electronics, spa packages, gift cards, airline tickets, designer purses and much, much more! Our Prize Breaks have become legendary and represent a potent way to endear your brand to these deserving and connected Administrative Professionals while also enjoying the captive audience of 450-650 executive and administrative attendees during the ceremony (size varies by market).Here’s how our prize partnership program works:
- 14 companies are showcased during three “Prize Breaks” which happen intermittently in between the nine award presentations to an audience of Administrative Professionals, their executive counterparts and coworkers.
- Minimum prize value is $500, subject to review and approval
- Prize Partners receive prominent display of their logo and giveaway on the big 16’ screens for about one minute while the prize contribution is drawn.
- Every Admin that attends the Gala is automatically entered to win one of the 14 major prizes. An est. 250 – 350 admins attend each Gala.
- Prize Partners are given the contact list of Admins including email addresses for future follow up.
- Prize Partners will receive one ticket to attend the Gala.
- While not all prizes are accepted, those that we believe would delight our community of Administrative Professionals and include a value of over $500 (although many are in the $1,000 – $2,500 range) are what gets us most excited.
Finalists & Winners Publications
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The Admin Awards recognizes administrative excellence in nine individual award categories, which may vary slightly from market to market to reflect the leading industries in each program area. Below is a list of all existing award categories and their respective markets in addition to the Founders Award which is the only company award offered by the Admin Awards and is described below. Nominators do have the ability to nominate an Administrative Professional in more than one award category although an admin can only be declared a finalist in one award category (the award category with the highest score from the judges is retained).