Why Recognition Matters: Celebrating Excellence Across the AAPOR Community
01/27/2026
Dear AAPOR Members,
With 2025 behind us and 2026 well underway, I want to pause and reflect on something that lies at the heart of our profession: recognition. Taking the time to acknowledge excellence—whether in scholarship, leadership, mentorship, or service—strengthens AAPOR, enhances the broader public opinion and survey research community, and celebrates the individuals among us who make it all possible.
Recognition affirms the values we share; highlights work that advances rigor, transparency, and ethical practice; and reminds us that progress in our field is built through sustained effort and collaboration. When we recognize one another, we reinforce what excellence looks like—and why it matters.
In that spirit, I encourage you to nominate a colleague, team, or project for one of AAPOR’s annual awards, with nominations due this Friday, January 30. Our award recipients represent the very best of this community. Past award winners have shaped methods, informed policy, strengthened professional standards, and mentored the next generation. Their work continues to influence how our field evolves. It’s time to acknowledge a new batch of change-makers, and this is your opportunity to celebrate the researchers you admire most.
Recognition also includes preserving our collective history. Through AAPOR’s Heritage Interview Series, we capture the stories and insights of individuals whose contributions have helped define our profession. I am especially excited about an upcoming new series, Pioneers in Survey Research, specifically designed to honor and preserve the legacies of trailblazers who have broken barriers and made lasting impacts within the survey research profession.
Through the AAPOR Transparency Initiative, we recognize organizations that demonstrate leadership by committing to transparent reporting of survey-based research findings. These pledges reflect a shared responsibility to uphold rigor and openness and help build public trust in the work our field produces.
Finally, in the spirit of recognition, I would like to take a minute to acknowledge the dedication of our Executive Council and countless volunteers, who generously share their time and expertise to guide the association’s work and strengthen our profession, and to the staff who keep things running behind the scenes, led by Executive Director Betty Whitaker.
AAPOR is a community built on generosity of time, knowledge, and leadership. By nominating colleagues, engaging with our history, and celebrating the work around us, you help sustain a profession grounded in excellence and mutual respect.
Thank you for being part of AAPOR and for all that you contribute to this remarkable community.
Warm regards,
Jordon Peugh
AAPOR Executive Council President