I am thrilled to share that CMAA Chief Operating Officer/Chief Financial Officer Laurie Hawkins has been honored with Columbus Business First’s prestigious C-Suite Award for 2025.

The annual C-Suite Awards honor the region's most impactful CEOs and C-Level executives in Central Ohio. In their announcement yesterday, Columbus Business First named 29 honorees, and Laurie was selected in the CFO category.

I am proud to have been one of the many people involved in nominating Laurie for this award. Those of us intimately involved in the CMA and Affiliates knew of Laurie’s incredible impact on our organization, and we were inspired to share it with our community!

In the nomination, we highlighted Laurie’s steady and strategic approach to managing such a large, complex organization that impacts millions of Ohioans. For more than a decade of leadership transitions, organizational growth, and financial complexity, Laurie has been the glue that has kept our organization moving forward. Her leadership has never been more vital than it is this year with the continued spread of misinformation and attacks on medical research, life-saving vaccinations, the patient-physician relationship, and federal funding.

You’ll be able to read more about Laurie in a special issue of Columbus Business First on October 3rd dedicated to the honorees. You can congratulate her in person at our annual celebration on October 23rd at the Columbus Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

As we gather to honor those who shaped our past and inspire our future, we are fortunate to count Laurie among that group. Find more details and purchase your ticket here.