And the Benny Award goes to ...

I woke up this morning, shaking with excitement—and not just because of the random earthquake that rumbled through the Md.-D.C. area.

It’s because today I get to announce the winners of the 2010 Benny Awards. Announcing the honorees each year is one my favorite parts of my job, because it gives me the opportunity to personally thank benefits professionals for all that they do and recognize the outstanding contributions they make to their organizations, their employees and their profession.

So, I won’t ramble on any further. The 2010 Benny Award winners are:

Benefits Professional of the Year
Ed Coates
Senior Manager of Employee Benefits
Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Austin, Texas

Benefits Leadership in Health Care
Chesapeake Energy Benefits Team
Martha Burger, Senior Vice President of Human & Corporate Resources

Colleen Dame Manager of Health & Wellness Benefits
Lorrie Jacobs, Vice President of Compensation & Benefits
Gena Perry, Director of Benefits
Lindsay Sparks, Wellness Administrator
Oklahoma City, Okla.

Benefits Leadership in Retirement Planning
Annette Grabow
Manager of Retirement Planning
M.A. Mortenson Company
Minneapolis, Minn.

VSP “GetFit” Award
Douglas County School District Team
Brian Ewert, Interim Superintendent
Steve Herzog, Director of HR
Bill Hodges, Assistant Superintendent
Brenda Smith, President of DCF
Castle Rock, Colo.

Judges’ Choice
Faye Saenz
Director of Employee Benefits
GameStop
Grapevine, Texas

The honorees will be profiled in EBN’s Sept. 15 issue, and presented their awards at EBN’s 23rd annual Benefits Forum & Expo, to be held Sept. 26-28 at the beautiful Boca Raton Resort in Boca Raton, Fla.

Congratulations to all the winners, and a sincere thank-you to all who were nominated. Your work is truly impressive and inspiring.