Recognizing excellence in public treasury management
The NAST Board of Directors accepts nominations for NAST Awards each year prior to the Annual and Legislative Conferences.
Members are notified about the nomination process through routine NAST communications and direct outreach on an annual basis.
2023 NAST award recipients
Harlan Boyles/Edward T. Alter Distinguished Service Award
Mike Frerichs
Illinois
Jesse M. Unruh Award
This distinguished award recognizes a current Treasurer's outstanding service to the association, the profession, and his or her state. It is given out at the Annual Conference every fall.
The Jesse M. Unruh Award is named for Jesse Unruh, a founding member of NAST and former California State Treasurer. This distinguished award recognizes a current Treasurer’s outstanding service to the association, the profession, and his or her state.
Over more than forty years in public service, Unruh rose from an impoverished childhood to be one of the most powerful people in California politics. He excelled early in his service as a savvy legislator and rose quickly from a seat in the California State Assembly to become Speaker of the Assembly by 1961. After losing campaigns for California Governor and Mayor of Los Angeles, Unruh was elected California Treasurer in 1974.
During his tenure as Treasurer, Unruh vastly expanded the role of the Treasurer’s office by asserting the Treasurer’s power over numerous boards and commissions that controlled millions of dollars of State funds. In 1977, he established the Local Agency Investment Fund (LAIF) which is an investment alternative for California’s local governments and special districts. Today, LAIF provides safe, liquid, cost-effective investment alternatives to more than 2,200 of California’s 4,400 local governments. If the LAIF is measured against commercial money market funds, it would be among the top twenty in the United States, measured by assets under management.
Following his death in office in 1987, his heirs and supporters established the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California with a mission of motivating students to participate in politics and encourage public officers to champion non-partisan and ethical issues. Unruh held a BA in political science from the University of Southern California.
Award recipients
Harlan Boyles/Edward T. Alter Distinguished Service Award
The Boyles/Alter Distinguished Service Award is presented to a dedicated and committed public servant whose outstanding career in government has provided a respected voice for NAST at all levels of government. It is given out at the Annual Conference every fall.
Harlan Boyles, the State Treasurer in North Carolina from 1977 to 2001, was known as the “Keeper of the Public Purse,” which was also the name of a book he authored. Edward T. Alter, the State Treasurer in Utah from 1981 to 2009, served with distinction in five state-wide administrations.
Award recipients
Lucille Maurer Award
The Lucille Maurer Award (formerly the Treasurer Emeritus Award) is presented to a former Treasurer in recognition of outstanding service to the association. It is given out at the Annual Conference every fall.
Lucille Maurer was the first woman to serve as State Treasurer in Maryland, and the twenty-first Treasurer to serve in the position since the State Constitution mandated the position in 1851.
Award recipients
Corporate Affiliate Award
The Corporate Affiliate Award recognizes an active Corporate Affiliate member for outstanding service to the profession and the association. It is given out at the Annual Conference every fall.
NAST’s Corporate Affiliates are key partners helping to foster cooperation between State Treasury offices and other government financial agencies, and always working towards similar goals in the public finance sector.
Award recipients
Public Finance Employee of the Year Award
The Public Finance Employee of the Year Award honors the outstanding work of a staff person from a State Treasury or other NAST / Network agency who provides leadership for the agency and in the field of public finance. It is given out at the Annual Conference every fall.
Award recipients
Chris Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Public Finance
This distinguished award recognizes a staffer of a state treasury, NAST member agency, or congressional staffer who demonstrated outstanding service in advocating for or advancing NAST priorities over the prior year. It is given out during the Legislative Conference every spring.
Chris Allen served as a dedicated champion of state finance priorities through his service to NAST, FAF and the United States Senate. Chris worked for Senate Finance Chairman Grassley, Senator Pat Roberts, and was the NAST Director of federal relations from 1997 to 2006.