The Turnaround Management Association will celebrate the achievements of eight TMA chapters during an awards ceremony at The 2016 TMA Annual, taking place November 2-4 at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 

Each year, TMA recognizes chapters that distinguish themselves by delivering excellent education, providing networking opportunities, helping their members drive business, and promoting community service. 

The winners are:
•    2015 Operational Excellence (Large Chapter): TMA New York City
•    2015 Operational Excellence (Mid-Size Chapter): TMA Chesapeake
•    2015 Operational Excellence (Small Chapter): TMA Rocky Mountain
•    2015 Operational Excellence (International Chapter): TMA United Kingdom
•    2015 – 2016 Most Innovative Program: TMA Arizona for Curiosities of the Cannabis Industry
•    2015 – 2016 Most Innovative Program: TMA Connecticut for Comedy, Cocktails, and Capital
•    2015 – 2016 Special Consideration: TMA Chicago/Midwest for its Pro Bono Committee
•    2015 – 2016 Special Interest Group: TMA Toronto for The Spring Gala

TMA’s awards program recognizes chapters for outstanding programs and groups in two categories: “Special Consideration” and “Special Interest Group.” Special Consideration award recipients were recognized for actions that have done something noteworthy in their area, such as pro bono or charity work. Special Interest Group award recipients were recognized for extraordinary work done to address an under represented group within its chapter membership.

The 2015 winners are:
TMA New York City: 2015 Operational Excellence (Large Chapter)
TMA New York City has exemplified operational excellence in numerous areas, including strategic planning, programming, membership, corporate governance, succession planning, sponsorship, university outreach/student awards, and pro bono activities. In 2015 the Chapter created an ad hoc Diversity Committee to increase awareness and promote diversity within the Chapter. Twenty-three events took place during the awards period including an inaugural diversity event, five events hosted by TMA NextGen, and two events hosted by TMA NOW. Efforts to recruit and retain members are a year-round priority. 

TMA Chesapeake: 2015 Operational Excellence (Mid-Size Chapter)
TMA Chesapeake has demonstrated its excellence in various ways. The chapter exceeded their membership goal in 2015 and took an active role in fundraising for various charities, such as the annual TMA Mid-Atlantic Regional Symposium raffle for the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, and a golf outing that raised money for a non-profit organization called Tuesday’s Children that supports youths affected by 9/11. 

The Chapter board is diverse in its representation of its members. Six of the 16 board members are women, and women hold central leadership positions including Chapter President, President-Elect, the officer positions of Vice President of Programming and Secretary; the NextGen Chair and the Network of Women co-chairs.

TMA Rocky Mountain: 2015 Operational Excellence (Small Chapter)
TMA Rocky Mountain has prioritized new member outreach. New members are invited out for coffee by a Membership Committee member, and they also receive a personal letter from the Membership Chair. The Chapter is also creating a member handbook that members will receive once they join TMA. Through the new member orientation and committee involvement, the Chapter actively identifies a leadership path to ensure that new ideas and energy come into the leadership of the organization. In addition to membership, TMA Rocky Mountain is seeing energetic leadership in the Salt Lake City area of the Chapter and is putting forth efforts to expand on this potential for growth. 

TMA United Kingdom: 2015 Operational Excellence (International Chapter)
For the second year in a row, TMA United Kingdom sold out their Annual Conference with over 190 attendees representing 100 different organizations. The Chapter also launched a TMA Network of Women (NOW) affinity group, along with expanding TMA NextGen into the north of England. Both affinity groups will help garner interest both inside and outside the Chapter. 

TMA Arizona for Curiosities of the Cannabis Industry: 2015 – 2016 Most Innovative Program
The “Curiosities of the Cannabis Industry” event drew 70 people – well above average for TMA Arizona. The event presented fascinating information and set the stage for high-quality networking, but also demonstrated TMA Arizona's ability to stay on the cutting edge of the industry, and introduced members to a new arena in which to ply their trade. As a result, the event led to the development of a cannabis panel at the 2016 TMA Western Regional Conference, which featured two chapter members. 

TMA Connecticut for Comedy, Cocktails, and Capital: 2015 – 2016 Most Innovative Program
TMA Connecticut’s centers of influence are located in three different parts of the state: Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford, making it challenging to keep a smaller audience actively engaged in Chapter events. Comedy, Cocktails, and Capital was held in Stamford and supported by a grant from the TMA Chapter Resource and Response Committee (CRRC). The goal for the event was 75 attendees along with adding six new members to the chapter from the event. The chapter exceeded their goal of attendees by 19 and converted six of the 57 nonmembers to TMA Connecticut members. The chapter plans to make Comedy, Cocktails, and Capital an annual event.

TMA Chicago/Midwest for its Pro Bono Committee: 2015 – 2016 Special Consideration
TMA Chicago/Midwest’s Pro Bono Committee demonstrated that effective and dedicated leaders can help revitalize a group to achieve impressive results. At the same time, the Committee also served as a model of how to give back to the community at large. Over the course of 2015, the Committee made significant strides in opening up a pipeline of potential engagements by forming strategic partnerships with organizations in Chicago that work routinely with small companies and non-profits that face business challenges. The Committee quickly identified an area of particular need in the community: helping businesses or organizations that depend on revenues from governmental agencies facing significant and ongoing budget cuts. Throughout the past 18 months, the committee has worked with four different organizations with challenges.

TMA Toronto for The Spring Gala: 2015 – 2016 Special Interest Group
TMA Toronto’s annual event, The Spring Gala, began in 2011 to honor Toronto women in the turnaround industry while raising money for a local charity that provides direct benefits to women in the community. The chapter solicits charitable nominations from their members. Girls E-Mentorship Innovation was chosen as the 2016 organization. It connects at-risk young women from Toronto’s high-priority neighborhoods with professional female mentors and provides these young women with the academic, life-skills, and personal support that they need to succeed in their studies and future careers. Another key component to The Spring Gala is its dedication to honoring and recognizing women in the profession. In 2016, the chapter recognized two women considered “Today’s Leaders”, meaning they have had ten to twenty years of practice and have increased their senior leadership roles within the profession. The event resulted in $80,000 going to GEM, bringing the overall fundraising efforts in the past six years to approximately CA$390,000.