About the Senior Staff of the Year Award

The Attorney General Senior Staff of the Year Award is given to a member of an attorney general's management staff who has distinguished himself or herself by providing exceptional service to NAAG and the nation's attorneys general through exemplary leadership, expertise, and achievement. This award should be given to a member of the management staff (chief deputy, chief of staff, division, or section chief, etc.) who meets the criteria set forth above. There is no minimum service time requirement.

Recipients of the Senior Staff of the Year Award

2025

• Bob R. Brooks, Jr., Arkansas
• Lacey Mase, Tennessee
• Lyndsay Ruotolo, New Jersey
• Craig Newby, Nevada

2024

• Brent Stratton, Illinois
• Whitney Mackay, Florida

2023

• Danielle Hagaman-Clark
• Melissa A. Holyoak

2022

• Chief of Staff, Eric Montgomery, Kansas
• First Assistant Attorney General, Swain Wood, North Carolina

2021

• Deputy Attorney General for Major Litigation, Jonathan Blanton, Ohio
• Chief of Staff Jonathan Garelick, New Jersey

2020

• Chief Deputy Attorney General Christiana Grossi, Michigan
• Solicitor General Loren AliKhan, District of Columbia
• Senior Counsel Michael Myers, New York

2019

• Chief Deputy Dennis Dunn, Georgia
• Chief Deputy Natalie Ludaway, District of Columbia
• Chief Deputy Charles D. McGuigan, South Dakota

2018

• Chief Deputy Perry Zinn-Rowthorn, Connecticut
• Chief Deputy Patricia Connors, Florida

2017

• Chief Deputy Brian Kane, Idaho
• Chief Deputy Jim Cantor, Alaska

2016

• Chief Deputy Jeff Milsteen, Georgia
• Supervising Deputy Hugh Jones, Hawaii

2015

• Chief of Staff Staci Schneider, Indiana

2014

• Deputy Attorney General Shirley Battan, Washington

Prior to 2014 and the creation of the Senior Staff of the Year and the Attorney General Career Staff of the Year Awards, NAAG awarded the Staff Member of the Year Award to a member of an attorney general's staff who had distinguished himself or herself by providing exceptional service to NAAG and the nation's attorneys general through exemplary leadership, expertise, and achievement.  RECIPIENTS OF THE STAFF MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD   2013

• Chief Deputy Kay Winfree, Maryland

2012

• Chief Deputy Al Lama, New Mexico
• Assistant Attorney General Phil Lehman, North Carolina

2011

• Chief Deputy Jerry Coyne, Rhode Island

2010

• Chief Deputy Brian Moran, Washington

2009

• Former Special Counsel Jay Chaudhuri, North Carolina
• Special Counsel Anthony Jannotta Connecticut

2008

• Senior Assistant Attorney General Dennis Eckhart, California
• Assistant Attorney General Patrick Madigan, Iowa

2007

• First Assistant Attorney General Tom Gruber, Oklahoma
• Chief Deputy Karen Mitchell, Missouri
• Senior Chief Counsel Paula Bickett, Arizona

2006

• Chief Deputy Attorney General Rick Frank, California
• Assistant Attorney General Shirley Stark, New York
• Assistant Attorney General Rebecca Fisher, Texas
• Assistant Attorney General David Huey, Washington

2005

• Assistant Attorney General Trish A. Conners, Florida
• Deputy Attorney General Susan Henrichsen, California
• Chief Deputy Attorney General Walley Malley, Jr., Vermont

2004

• Chief Deputy Attorney General Andy Bennett, Tennessee
• Chief Deputy Attorney General James A. Donahue, III, Pennsylvania
• Assistant Attorney General Meredyth Smith Andrus, Maryland
• Special Counsel Jack Norris, Florida
• Assistant Attorney General Robert L. Hubbard, New York

2003

• Chief Deputy Jeff Milsteen, Georgia
• Assistant Attorney General Eliot Burg, Vermont

2002

• Financial Remedies Unit Chief Cameron (Kip) Holmes, Arizona
• Antitrust Section Chief Doreen Johnson, Ohio
• Assistant Attorney General Noreen Matts, Arizona
• Deputy Chief of Staff Paul Wilson, Missouri

2001

• First Assistant Attorney General Dan Miller, Colorado
• Consumer Protection Division Chief Bill Brauch, Iowa
• Senior Deputy Attorney General John Campbell, Kansas
• Assistant Attorney General Tom Barnico, Massachusetts
• Assistant Attorney General Andrew Rossner, New Jersey

2000

• Peter Sand, Pennsylvania
• Mark Tobey, Texas
• Federal Liaison Jennifer Worner Carlson, Ohio
• Senior Assistant Attorney General Tom Greene, California
• Special Assistant Attorney General David Horn, Washington
• Environment Division Chief Ron Shems, Vermont
• Consumer Protection Unit Director Jane Wheeler, Oklahoma

1999

• Special Assistant Attorney General Sandra Shelson, Mississippi
• Antitrust Division Chief Mark Tobey, Texas
• Chief Information Officer and Chief Deputy Attorney Peter Sand, Pennsylvania
• Special Deputy Attorney General Alan Hirsch, North Carolina
• Assistant Attorney General Christopher Barry-Smith, Massachusetts

1998

• Chris Barry-Smith, Massachusetts
• Sandra Nelson, Mississippi
• Alan Hirsch, North Carolina

1997

• Richard C. Allen, Massachusetts
• James M. Haney, Wisconsin
• Stephen Huck, New York
• Shirley F. Sarna, New York
• Ronald Del Vento, Texas

1996

• Tim Delaney, Arkansas
• Jon Glogau, Florida
• Deborah Hagan, Illinois
• Kevin J.O. Connor, Wisconsin Sharon Scott, Massachusetts

1995

• Thomas H. Green, Massachusetts
• Kevin P. Holsclaw, California
• Jim Jeffries, Wisconsin
• Elise Porter, Ohio
• Richard Wintory, Oklahoma

1994

• Julie Brill, Vermont
• Richard W. Cole, Massachusetts
• Joseph C. Mellichamp, Florida
• Cecil B. Patterson, Jr., Arkansas

1993

• Lauren Carlton, New Jersey
• Thomas F. Gede, California
• Jerome W. Hoffman, Florida
• Lee Paddock, Minnesota
• John E. Stevens, Illinois

1992

• Barbara Anthony, Massachusetts
• Fran B. Cleaver, Pennsylvania
• Ellen S. Cooper, Maryland
• Thomas J. O’Reilly, New Jersey

1991

• Mary F. Kellery, Texas
• Jean Nelson, Tennessee
• Laurel A. Price, New Jersey
• Albert N.Shelden, California
• Charles I Wikelius, Minnesota

1990

• Melvin I. Goldberg, New York
• Robert M. Langer, Connecticut
• John R. Tunheim, Minnesota

1989

• Michael F. Brockmeyer, Maryland

1988

• Richard L. Cleland, Iowa
• Clayton S. Friedman, Missouri
• Clive Strong, Idaho
• Art Weiss, Kansas

1987

• Stephen Gardner, Texas
• David Ormstedt, Connecticut
• Susan Roberts, Massachusetts

1986

• Lloyd Constantine, New York
• Dennis Muchnicki, Ohio
• Tam Ormiston, Iowa