The NALS Award of Excellence is the top honor a member can receive from NALS. This award began in 1957 and was then called the Legal Secretary of the Year. The name was changed in 1994 to better reflect the membership of NALS and to be more inclusive of those being honored. Below are all of the past Award of Excellence and Legal Secretary of the Year recipients.

Award of Excellence Winners

2007 - Jeannie Shaw, PP, PLS, Mississippi
2006 - Karen Kuhn, PP, PLS, Mississippi
2005 - Patricia Infanti, PP, PLS, Pennsylvania
2004 – Shirley Vanderbeck, PP, PLS, CL§, CLA, CNSA, CM, California
2003 – Betty G. Wells, PP, PLS, TSC, Texas
2002 – Helene Wood, PP, PLS, Texas
2001 – Marlene Oiler, PP, PLS, New Jersey
2000 – Debbie Nickerson, PP, PLS, Maine
1999 – Janice Miller, PLS, CPS, Arkansas
1998 – Mae Humphries, PLS, CLA, Arkansas
1997 – Marie Schoenfeldt, PLS, CLA, Arkansas
1996 – Cathy Underwood, PLS, CLA, Arkansas
1995 – Sandra Morton, PLS, Georgia
1994 – Sandra Yost, PLS, Illinois

Legal Secretary of the Year

1993 – Sunny Shuping, PLS, Florida
1992 – Marie Murray, PLS, Florida
1991 – Nancy M. Monson, PLS, Washington
1990 – Judith B. Warren, PLS, California
1989 – Ruth Copeland, PLS, Mississippi
1988 – Richard Kokochak, PLS, Michigan
1987 – Margaret J. Scott, PLS, CLA, Michigan
1986 – Shirley Burns-Taylor, PLS, Illinois
1985 – Kaye Aoki, PLS, Utah
1984 – Teresa Hartzog, PLS, Montana
1983 – Dolph L. Parker, PLS, Arkansas
1982 – Bobbie D. Jones, PLS, Arkansas
1981 – Mary Hafenstine, PLS, Kansas
1980 – Druann Wiley, PLS, Texas
1979 – Donna M. Jergens, PLS, CPS, Iowa
1978 – Marilyn Johnson, PLS, Kansas
1977 – Violet E. McNew, PLS, CLA, Colorado
1976 – Nancy Mikacevich, PLS, California
1975 – Maurene Christensen, PLS, Wisconsin
1974 – Helen Kolbe, PLS, New Jersey
1973 – Harriet Smith Bennett, PLS, South Carolina
1972 – Clara Lagow, PLS, Texas
1971 – Haru Hains, New Jersey
1970 – Mariann Farhat, PLS, Michigan
1969 – Julianna D. Parr, PLS, Texas
1968 – Merlene Schultz, Alabama
1967 – Mildred Fricke Root, Illinois
1966 – Harold Beyea, PLS, New York
1965 – Anita Ponder, Louisiana
1964 – Grace Walvoord, California
1963 – Hazel Jones, Kansas
1962 – Mabel Roshton, Louisiana
1961 – Minnie Lundwall, North Dakota
1960 – Rhoda V. Polley, PLS, California
1959 – Elizabeth Rast, Texas
1958 – Elena Rapp, PLS, Texas
1957 – Jean Hecker, California