Early Achievement Award

The Early Achievement Award is granted to a University of Houston-Clear Lake alumnus/a (as defined below), age 45 or younger, for significant accomplishments in business or professional life, or for service to the university and/or the UHCL Alumni Association.

Award Selection Criteria

Eligibility: A nominee is eligible to receive the Early Achievement Alumni Award if he/she has earned a degree or teacher’s certification from UHCL and has substantially met the following criteria:

• Nominee must be age 45 or younger as of nomination deadline date.
• Nominee must have achieved a remarkable degree of prominence for someone of their age, through professional achievements or service to the community or UHCL.
• Special consideration will be given to those who have demonstrated unusual initiative by starting an innovative service project, business or some other original enterprise.
• Nominee must be able to accept the award in person at the annual UHCL Alumni Celebration dinner.
• Nominee must not be a current member of the Alumni Association Executive Council.

Award Nomination

Use the Alumni Award Nomination Form below to nominate an alumnus for an award. For tips on creating a great nomination, download the Nomination Tip Sheet. Deadline to nominate is Saturday, May 1, 2021. 

Alumni Award Nomination Form

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Past Early Achievement Award Recipients

2019 - Mary Anne Brelinsky, '00 

Mary Anne Brelinsky is president of EDF’s North America business units. EDF is an international firm that manages large-scale electricity and natural gas assets. She has worked with other energy and utility executives to ensure that large businesses, industries and communities have reliable and affordable electricity from a resilient power grid. At EDF, she is responsible for trading activity in the high-finance energy markets, setting corporate strategy, growing the retail platform, and the overall profitability for the business in the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, she was a Houston Business Journal “Women Who Mean Business” honoree. Currently, she is on the board of directors at Gulf Coast Power Association, DK Energy, the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and the Advisory Council for Women’s Energy Network. She also serves on the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board. She received her Master of Business Administration from University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2000 and her Bachelor of Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in 1996.

2017
Michael D. Larrañaga, '98 MS

2016
Kristi Koncaba, '97 BS, '05 MA

2015
Katherine Becker, '03 BS, '06 MHA/MBA
Marla Davis Chandler, '96 BA, '01 MS
Kanchana Weerasinghe, '98 BS, '00 MS

2013
M. Shane Spees, '97 MHA

2012
Mitali Paul, '05 MHA/MBA

2011
Nefertari Brown Mundy, '06 MS, '09 MS
Christa English George, '95 BA

2010
James G. Springfield, '91 MHA

2009
Corey J. Wilson, ’02 BS

2007
Sameer Pande ’02 MS

2006
Chris Wagner ’02 MS

2005
Cris Curnutt Daskevich ’97 MHA/MBA