2019 Eureka Award Winner

ASAP is pleased to announce that Jennifer “JB” Bulcao is our 2019 Eureka Award winner! JB was presented with the 2019 Eureka Award on September 24, 2019 prior to the morning keynote address in Smoothie King Arena at the Administrative Professionals Conference in New Orleans, LA.

The ASAP Eureka! Award is an opportunity for ASAP and the APC to recognize talent, initiative, & innovation in the administrative field. The award recognizes an achievement made by an administrative professional who has made extraordinary or innovative contributions to the organization they serve.

This year we had a 1st in the history of the Eureka award – an organization’s CEO wrote the nomination. And boy was it a phenomenal one. His comments highlight strategic thinking, commitment, and trust. We don’t usually do this, but we’re going to share the core part of his nomination. We think it highlights the exact moment where EAs and administrative professionals are today – the intersection of support and leadership.

Thomas writes: “I am nominating my EA, JB Bulcao for her development and implementation of a Stoplight Dashboard that transformed the way in which the American Waterways Operators (AWO) manages and monitors staff progress made on our association’s strategic plan. Our strategic plan was developed by our Board to guide the work of our members and staff over 6 years.

What does this mean? The staff was provided a broad plan-How we accomplished the work on a more tactical level would be up to them. Change management is crucial in organizational success and any changes made to a system as essential as following our strategic plan needs to be done carefully and delicately.

JB masterfully managed not only the development of a new tracking mechanism, but also implemented a program for the entire staff to systemically meet to review our progress. Her leadership in reinventing our management system, and enthusiasm for keeping her colleagues engaged in the new process all year long, was a key component in our association achieving a banner year in 2018. Despite her many duties as my EA, she volunteered to take this on. This project, which could have easily continued on its mediocre course, was reinvented by her to best serve our members every day, while remaining careful stewards of their financial investment and making sure we constantly exceed their expectations.”

In JB’s speech she talked about what she heard when she asked her colleagues about their favorite thing(s) about being an administrative professional. One comment that resonated what that although they aren’t acknowledged in every instance, they know they’re the gatekeeper and stage crew that keep organizations moving forward, and that gives them pride. She shared advice she heard from APC speaker Chrissy Scivicque, which is to always say thank you when receiving praise – even when you feel you’re just doing your job – so that you reiterate that praise is indeed deserved for your contributions to your company. She thanked her fellow attendees and her colleagues for their support in receiving the award.

So on the heels of our national week of Thanksgiving, we’d like to say…

• thank you to all of the amazing nominees this year
• thank you to our ASAP members for sharing your excellence in and love for your profession with us
• and thank you, JB, for the reminder we all need sometimes.

Please join us in congratulating JB!

Are you a problem-solver, idea-generator, process-improver, or creative-thinker? If so, you may be next year’s winner! If you are interested in applying for the 2020 Eureka Award, the application is now live. Visit www.ASAPorg.com/Eureka to learn more.