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IFMA Fellows

Distinguished lifetime of achievement

The Fellowship program was established by the International Facility Management Association in 1992 to recognize members who have distinguished themselves by a lifetime of achievement in and around IFMA and the field of facility management. The first class of Fellows included Founders of the Association and the IFMA Foundation, early IFMA leaders, facility management researchers who defined the profession, luminaries, authors, industry giants and a prominent journalist/publisher. Subsequent classes of Fellows have been equally diverse and significant. Fellowship is the highest honor bestowed by the Association. Because IFMA is the world's largest network of facility management professionals and the recognized leader, IFMA Fellowship is unparalleled and unmatched among workplace-related recognitions.

The cumulative impact IFMA Fellows have had on the profession and the Association is immeasurable. Fellows' talents also often are quite diverse. Though no single activity advances a Fellows candidate, some of the individual accomplishments have included:

• Exhibiting outstanding leadership and service to a chapter, council, committee, task force or IFMA’s Board of Directors.
• Work on important IFMA and industry initiatives like the Certified Facility Manager credential degree and Recognized Programs.
• Writing facility management related articles or books for trade, national, or international publications.
• Being recognized in the trade or business press and using the opportunity to advance the profession or further awareness of the Association.
• Establishing a medium or publication for sharing facility management knowledge.
• Developing facility management related continuing education materials, promoting facility management education, and/or serving as an instructor for facility management-related programs on a college or university level.
• Serving as a certified IFMA instructor in education programs and courses.
• Conducting ground-breaking facility management research.
• Initiating or assisting in the establishment of alliances or ongoing relationships between IFMA and other facility management-related professional organizations, both in North America and globally.
• Forming and supporting IFMA chapters using complementary personal/company resources.
• Serving in leadership roles within other facility management-related associations.
• Mentoring students or young facility management professionals.
• Furthering the expansion, recognition, and influence of the facility management profession through personal facility management-related achievements or recognition, such as being recognized by his/her employer or customers for outstanding work.

Thus far less than 100 individuals have been recognized as IFMA Fellows and Fellows are added each year only if there are qualified, distinguished candidates. You may view photos of each Class of Fellows through hyperlink from each class listed below. 

Fellows form a core of respected leaders, advisors and ambassadors for the Association who are frequently called upon for their unmatched knowledge of the facility management profession.

Collectively the elite core of Fellows represents the most esteemed facility management professionals, distinguished authors, prolific academicians and leading facility management visionaries.

A Nominating Committee consisting of Fellows is charged with identifying qualified candidates annually and assists those who wish to write a nomination submittal. The Nominating Committee for 2012 is:  Sheila Sheridan, CFM, CPM, LEED® AP, IFMA Fellow, Kit Tuveson, CFM, IFMA Fellow, Albert MM Pilger, CFM, IFMA Fellow, Patrick Okamura, CFM, CCS, CIAQM, LEED AP®, IFMA Fellow, and Alex K. Lam, MRAIC, IFMA Fellow.  IFMA Board of Directors Past Chair, Francis Kuhn, CFM, CFMJ, has executive oversight for the Fellow’s program and senior staff liaisons to the Fellows Program are Linda Pate and Jeffrey J. Tafel, CAE.

A Jury is selected each year with three members being selected from the Fellows by majority ballot. The IFMA Chair and President/CEO also serve on the Jury. The Jury uses a standardized evaluation methodology when judging nominations to ensure fairness and uniformity.

A Nomination Data Form is required for each candidate. The 2012 sample submission form is available. The official form for the 2012 Class of Fellows may be obtained by contacting Linda Pate or Jeffrey J. Tafel, CAE, at +1-713-623-4362 or linda.pate@ifma.org or jeff.tafel@ifma.org. 

The Nomination Data Form allows nominators to provide information about the nominee in three primary areas: Professional Experience & Accomplishments; Association Involvement; and Enriching the Profession. Secondary but no less important is the overall contribution the nominee has made in the past combined with the potential of the nominee to be an ambassador of the Association and profession into the future.

The nominator is expected to provide a quality submission targeted at an executive level audience including the appropriately detailed information regarding the nominee’s degrees and certifications, work history, identification of significant facilities-related work accomplishments and leadership and major contributions to the profession. The nominee’s publication history, teaching and public speaking experience is also considered. IFMA involvement is required to be documented and all levels of participation and leadership roles are considered. Service to other facility management-related societies and associations along with leadership roles and achievements in these organizations are reviewed. Special recognition and significant awards or honors bestowed by IFMA and other organizations are also considered. In addition to the completed form, three one-page letters of testimony are required where each specifically targets a different primary area of evaluation: Professional Experience & Accomplishments; Association Involvement; and Enriching the Profession.

The final date to receive Fellow nomination submissions at IFMA headquarters is June 29, 2012. The 2012 Class of Fellows will be presented at the Awards of Excellence Banquet as a part of IFMA’s World Workplace 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona.

For additional information regarding IFMA Fellows contact:
Linda Pate or Jeffrey J. Tafel, CAE
1 East Greenway Plaza, Suite 1100
Houston, Texas 77046-0197
713-623-4362, phone
713-623-6124, fax
linda.pate@ifma.org or jeff.tafel@ifma.org

The most prestigious title bestowed by the Association is that of IFMA Fellow. Fellowship recognizes outstanding contribution and services rendered to the Association. Fellowship creates an elite core of respected leaders who can be called upon to act as advisors to and ambassadors for the Association.

Current class picture above. Click to enlarge.
To view past pictures click on the class years below.