[Satellite TODAY Insider 10-10-12] The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) has selected its 2012 Promise and Mentor Award winners, which will be honored at the organization’s 7th annual Future Leaders Dinner next month in New York City, SSPI confirmed Oct. 10.
SSPI’s Promise Awards recognize young satellite professionals who have played a strong leadership role in the industry. The program has served the satellite industry as a way to attract younger professionals and engineers to a rapidly aging profession and promote education initiative.
“Each year I’m newly impressed with the talent and level of professionalism in the satellite industry at both ends of the age spectrum,” SSPI Executive Director Robert Bell said in a statement. “The Promise Award winners have all exemplified what makes not just leaders but also visionaries.”
This year’s Promise Award winners include: SES Innovation Projects Engineer Brian Mengwasser; SES Government Solutions Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications Nicole Robinson; and Intelsat General Government Affairs Manager Karen Yasumura.
Mengwasser won the award for his work done in response to an anomaly that occurred on Intelsat’s Galaxy 15. SSPI said Mengwasser analyzed complex problems and implemented innovative solutions supporting both the engineering and business sides of the company.
Robinson, the youngest vice president in the history of her company, was honored for a successful campaign to shift how the U.S. government approaches procurement of satellite capacity. Yasumura won an award for advancing the common agenda of the industry by helping governmental users better understand and appreciate the commercial industry, SSPI said.
ABC Television Network Vice President of Telecommunications and Affiliate Support Richard Wolf won SSPI’s Mentor of the Year award. Bell said Wolf was chosen for more than three decades of unwavering support for the professional advancement of his colleagues in broadcasting and satellite.
“I’m particularly thrilled this year that SSPI is able to recognize Rich Wolf with the Mentor Award,” said Bell. “The Society is an association of his vendors and yet he has served on SSPI’s Board and twice as its chairman and president. That devotion to fostering person-to-person connections among our 3,600 members tells you everything you need to know about him.”
SatelliteTODAY.com will be covering SSPI’s 7th annual Future Leaders Dinner Nov. 13 in New York City with exclusive video interviews with the award winners. Stay tuned to SatelliteTODAY.com for more details.
