2021 Commission Awards Banquet set for June 12, 2021
The annual Commission Awards Banquet will be held on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, Grande Ballroom, 11111 N. 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85020. The banquet will begin with a social hour and music at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 6 p.m. The awards will be presented concurrently with dinner.
This special event is where the Commission formally honors and recognizes individuals and/or groups who have contributed significantly to the conservation of Arizona’s wildlife, its outdoor heritage, and the mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
Single tickets are $75. If you would like to attend this special event, please download, complete and return the RSVP form to Arizona Game and Fish Department, Attn: Shay Bernal, Director’s Office, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086 and include cash or a check payable to “Commission Awards Banquet/WFT” by May 31, 2021.
The 2020 award recipients are:
- Award of Excellence – Charlie Kelly
- Youth Conservationist of the Year – Jagrav Patel
- Media of the Year – Priscilla Torres/Telemundo
- Conservation Organization of the Year – Southern Arizona Quail Forever Chapter
- Conservationist of the Year – Miles Moretti
- Natural Resource Professional of the Year – Superintendent William Shott
- Volunteer of the Year – Roger Rohrbach and Keith Kniver
- Educator of the Year – Eric Proctor
- Mentor of the Year – Matt Shura
- Advocates of the Year – Jim Unmacht (State) & Ed Keable (Federal)
- Business Partner of the Year – Walmart
- Buck Appleby Hunter Education Instructor of the Year – Tom Britt
- Wildlife Habitat Steward of the Year – Jim O’Haco
- North American Model Commissioners Award – Margaret Martinez
- Chairman’s Award – James Odenkirk
COVID-19 mitigation measures such as table spacing, limiting seats per table to six unless a sponsor wants additional seats, facility cleaning, and physical distancing will be taken during the awards ceremony. At this time, it is our intention to request that attendees wear masks when they are up and about and not at their table. With the event still several weeks away, we will continue to monitor public health guidance from the Governor, Arizona Department of Health Services and CDC and make adjustments accordingly. We understand that some people may have concerns about COVID-19 and attendance at a public event, and fully understand if some choose not to attend this voluntary event.
We are looking forward to a great awards banquet and graciously invite you and your organization to attend. Please feel free to share this announcement with other members of your organization. Of course, if you decide not to attend this year’s banquet, we will completely understand and look forward to seeing you at a future event. We are hopeful that it will be possible to return to the normal annual cycle for the Commission Awards Banquet in January 2022.
Please contact Shay Bernal at Sbernal@azgfd.gov or (623) 236-7276 if you have any questions.
Past Award Recipients
