2024 COO of the Year Awards - Winners Announced

CHICAGO, Feb. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- February 12, 2025—Winners of the 2024 COO of the Year™ Awards have been selected after a nomination period and judging process that began in October 2024. The annual program is produced by the Operations Council, a community and platform focused on best practice resources, career development and training, strategic research and information, peer networking and recognition.

Chief Operating Officers (COOs), Vice Presidents of Operations, and related titles were eligible to enter. Applicants were self-nominated or nominated by a colleague via a brief online application form that requests anonymous information on 2024 financial performance, work experience, volunteer or philanthropic activities, and educational background.

All nominations were screened by an algorithm and then judged by Operations Council board advisors. Winners and Runners-Up are announced for 5 categories based on size and type.

Category/Classification: 2024 Winners, Company/Org, Title

2024 National COO of the Year: Courtney Rottman, Evernorth Health Services, Managing Director/COO

Enterprise/Winner: Courtney Rottman, Evernorth Health Services, Managing Director/COO

Medium/Winner: Manmeet Soni, Summit Therapeutics, Inc, COO
Medium/Runner-Up: Kelly Baltz, B&A, COO

Small/Winner: Peng Zhao, Princeton NuEnergy, COO
Small/Runner-Up: Brittany Truszkowski, Grand Canton Law Group LLC, COO

Not-For-Profit/Winner: Shawn Dixon, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, COO
Not-For-Profit/Runner-Up: Kevin Hauss, New York Edge, COO

Startup/Winner: Eric Kaufman, FundCanna, COO

From the category winners above, a 2024 National COO of the Year Award winner was selected based on the same criteria. Congratulations to Courtney Rottman, Evernorth Health Services.

"Chief Operating Officers and related executives achieved excellence in 2024, and the COO Awards shares some well-deserved recognition to some of these important executives", states Neil Brown, COO, Operations Council. 

All winners and runners-up will be notified by email and receive a frame-quality Certificate. Applications and registration for the 2025 COO of the Year Awards will begin in October of 2025 at the following link: www.operationscouncil.org/COO-awards/

ABOUT the Operations Council

Operations Council™ is a community and platform for COOs and operating professionals focused on career development and training, best practice information and resources, peer networking and recognition. Programs include a national Operations Career Center, the COO Insights™ Interview Series, and the annual COO of the Year™ Awards. Publishing includes webcasts and roundtable panels, informative articles and whitepapers. Strategic research studies include the annual Operations Outlook & Sentiment™ Study, Operations Talent™ Study, and the upcoming COO 2030™ Predictions Panel. For more information, visit www.OperationsCouncil.org, or contact COO Neil Brown at 630-710-4710.

SOURCE Operations Council