We are pleased to announce the 2011 nominees for the Americas Leader of the Year Award. Vivit is positively bursting with activity, due to the efforts of all volunteers. These twelve nominees for Americas Leader of the Year Award exemplify the best of what all of us strive to be. Each of these individuals has special talents and strengths and has stepped forward to share them with this worldwide community.

As a whole, they all exemplify the best of leadership qualities: honesty, forward-looking, competence, inspiration and intelligence. As strong leaders, the willingness to share and be courageous in the face of persistent challenges and obstacles is the reason that members of their Chapters and SIGs nominated them for this award. From the voices of Vivit members, they are being recognized for their ability to shape the future of many, as a community and as individuals, through their leadership abilities.

The special magic of Vivit comes from the essence of what makes us human—the need for connection. These leaders understand that special magic and work to create a thriving community where member voices can be heard and knowledge-sharing and collaboration are welcomed. While diversity of thought can prompt barriers, these leaders have mastered the art of listening, and they guide our members to open dialog and open connection so that at the end of the day, personal growth and expertise can develop.

The Vivit Board of Directors thanks each one of these nominees for their ongoing efforts to help build a community of people that spans 14 countries, 53 Chapters and SIGs, and 5800 worldwide members. These individuals are growing to be outstanding leaders of the future: for this community, for their organizations, for their families and for their friends. Through the Americas Leader of the Year Award, Vivit expresses our gratitude and recognizes the contributions of these twelve nominees for their excellence

	Scott Anderson Co-Leader, Iowa Chapter
	Viral Desai Leader, New York/New Jersey Metro
	Pam Eifel Co-Leader, Ohio Regional Chapter
	Mark Ford Co-Leader, Carolinas Chapter
	Mark Herbert Co-Leader, Arizona Chapter
	Steven Kiss Leader, Toronto and Montreal Chapters
	Chuck Masters Co-Leader, Mid-Atlantic Chapter
	Denver Meeks Co-Leader, Ohio Regional and Kentucky Chapters
	Warren McLeod Co-Leader, Minneapolis/St. Paul Chapter
	Chris Scharer Co-Leader, Iowa and Nebraska Chapters and Testing, Quality, and ALM SIG
	Floris Verschoor Co-Leader, HP Service Management SIG
	Laura Walker Co-Leader, Chicago, Kansas City, Texas Region and Richmond, VA Chapters

We would like to recognize Chris Scharer from the Iowa and Nebraska Chapters and TQA SIG of Vivit. As a Vivit board member, he is not eligible for the 2011 award, but his work as a leader is still very much appreciated and acknowledged by many members.

The 2011 award recipient will be announced at HP DISCOVER in Las Vegas, June 6 - 10. We will also announce the recipient in the July issue of the InForum News. Stay tuned.