Outstanding Consultants Honored at 18th Annual Meeting this week
CLAREMONT, CA—The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC), the leading global association of independent consulting professionals, today announced the winners of the Corrie Shanahan Memorial Award for Advancing Consulting. The awards were presented at the 18th annual meeting of the organization, held virtually this year with an extended agenda and global participation.
The Consultant of the Year was awarded to Dr. Constance Dierickx of Smyrna, Georgia. The first recipient of a new award for Creativity & Innovation is Amy Showalter of Cincinnati, Ohio.
“The past 18 months have been an unprecedented time for all of us,” said Linda Popky, co-executive director of SAC. “Consultants have had to pivot and adjust to the dramatically changing conditions faced by their clients, while continuing to manage and grow their own consulting practices.
“In addition to honoring the outstanding consultant of the year, we thought it was important to recognize a SAC member who displayed outstanding creativity and innovation throughout this challenging time—both in their own practice, as well as in how they work with their clients.”
About Constance Dierickx
Constance Dierickx, the recipient of this year’s Consultant of the Year award, is a sought-after advisor to boards and senior executives in high-stakes situations such as mergers and acquisitions, CEO transitions, and crises. Her merger and acquisition clients succeed 400% more often than the average. Constance has consulted with dozens of boards and over 500 executives on five continents.
She has been a speaker for The National Association of Corporate Directors on CEO transitions and board dynamics, and taught a Master Class on mergers and acquisitions. Named a management expert by Fast Company, Constance teaches strategic decision-making at Skolkovo University in Moscow. She is a contributor to Harvard Business Review, Chief Executive, and Forbes, as well as the author of High Stakes Leadership, and The Merger Mindset (with Dr. Linda Henman). Her next book, Both/And – The Power of Conscious Decisions, will be published in 2023.
About Amy Showalter
Amy Showalter, recipient of the SAC Creativity and Innovation award, is the founder of The Showalter Group, Inc., who helps organizations achieve their goals in the legislative process through the improved performance of their Political Action Committee and advocacy programs. Over 85% of her long term consulting clients have experienced an increase in budget, staff, PAC contributions ,and senior management recognition after collaborating with Amy.
She has delivered over 300 workshops and keynotes to over 25,000 grassroots advocates, PAC contributors, and PAC boards of directors, government relations staff, and non-profit volunteer leaders about how to maximize their political and civic influence. She has been cited in over 1,000 media outlets, and is the author of The Underdog Edge: How Everyday People Change the Minds of the Powerful . . . and Live to Tell About It and The Art and Science of the BFF: 105 Ways to Build Relationships on the Hill, at the State House, and in City Hall.
Amy has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ Graduate School of Public Affairs, where her Underdog Edge book is part of the Graduate School curriculum.
The Advancing Consulting Awards
The awards are given to independent consultants who have done the most to advance the profession in the previous year. They’re named in memory of Corrie Shanahan, a SAC member who passed away in 2019. Corrie Shanahan was an expert in rapidly strengthening organizational performance, productivity, and corporate culture, and the author of Do it, Mean it, Be it: The Keys to Achieve Success, Happiness and Everything You Deserve at Work and in Life.
“We are happy to use this opportunity to honor Corrie Shanahan—an active, generous member of this community who exemplified the qualities we were looking to recognize in outstanding consultants,” said Lisa Anderson co-executive director of SAC. “Corrie showed creativity and innovation in both her consulting practice and her approach to life in general. We think she would be pleased to see these qualities recognized in consulting colleagues.
“This year’s pool of nominees was larger than previously and all highly qualified,” she added. “We are grateful to the award committee, led by chair Pamela Harper, for all their hard work to review submissions and evaluate applicants based on a set of pre-defined criteria.”
“SAC focuses on three things that I hold dear: exceptionally high quality and ethical standards for consultants, continuous learning, and peer advice and mentoring,” said Constance Dierickx. “This award is very meaningful for those reasons, and also because this was created in memory of a superb consultant and human being, Corrie Shanahan. I’m inspired to continue to learn and share with my colleagues.”
Amy Showalter noted, “I am very honored to be receiving this accolade from my SAC compatriots. SAC members, despite being very accomplished, strive to be even better in serving their clients and communities, so receiving recognition from them is quite humbling.
“I am also grateful to my clients who are willing to go on the innovation journey with me—we can’t success without clients who take risks to improve their results.”
Virtual Meeting Expands on Last Year’s Successful Format
Due to the pandemic, the SAC annual meeting is being held virtually for the second year. Sessions are offered on three consecutive days, with different start times each day for attendees in Europe, North America, and the Pacific Rim.
The theme for this year’s meeting is Ready for the Rebound. All sessions are being recorded, so participants will be able to view any session they’d like at their convenience. Recordings will be available for a fee to both members and non-members.
Originally posted on SAC website: October 6, 2021