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Submit Your Nominations for the 2026 Lean Construction Institute Pioneer Award!
For the first time this year, we are accepting nominations from LCI corporate members for the prestigious Pioneer Award, the Lean Construction Institute’s highest honor.
The annual LCI Pioneer Award recognizes a firm or individual who has moved the industry forward in embracing and implementing Lean thinking, tools, and techniques. We look forward to learning about the leaders in Lean who have inspired you and helped drive Lean forward.
Winners will be honored at the 2026 LCI Congress conference on October 15th in Atlanta, GA.
The LCI Pioneer Award opens for submissions on June 1, 2026. Submissions must be received by midnight EST on July 31, 2026.
Please contact Joan Piccariello for more information.
Call for Entries: 2026 LCI Pioneer Award
Purpose & Eligibility
The LCI Pioneer Award annually recognizes a firm or individual who has moved the built environment forward in embracing and implementing Lean thinking, tools, and techniques.
Nominees must be submitted by LCI members, and all nominees must be LCI members.
Evaluation & Selection Criteria
Nominee submissions will be reviewed by the LCI Board Executive Committee which will select a finalist. One finalist will be honored with the highly selective and prestigious LCI Pioneer Award.
Nominees will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Leadership in supporting the mission, goals, and programs of the Lean Construction Institute, and furthering its program of work in education, research, standards, and/or community of practice building in support of Lean practice.
- Undertaking a seminal role in developing and implementing new Lean tools and techniques in support of project design and delivery.
- The investment of significant time and energy in implementing Lean design and construction principles and procedures in key projects for contractor, design, and/or owner organizations.
- Willingness to freely share lessons learned and help educate the industry on Lean via presentations at LCI and/or other organizations’ seminars and conferences.
- Demonstrated commitment to educating and persuading owners to utilize Lean on their projects.
Recognition
The winner of the 2026 LCI Pioneer Award will be notified by September 1, 2026. The award winner will be announced and the award presented at the 2026 LCI Congress Award Ceremony on October 15 in Atlanta, GA. The winner is expected to attend the award ceremony in person.
We thank the LCI Board Executive Committee members for their efforts in recognizing outstanding contributions to Lean through this important award.
LCI Board Executive Committee:
- Katie Wells, LCI Board Chair; Vice President, Project Delivery, Brasfield & Gorrie LLC
- Andrea Sponsel, LCI Board Vice Chair; Principal & Process Improvement Strategies Leader, HKS, Inc.
- Douglas Lacy, LCI Board Treasurer; Senior Vice President, WSP USA Buildings Inc.
Past LCI Pioneer Award Recipients
- Keyan Zandy, Skiles Group, 2023
- Howard Ashcraft and Lisa Dal Gallo, Hanson Bridgett, 2022
- Albert Manshum, Advocate Aurora Health, 2021
- Dean Reed, DPR Construction, 2020
- Victor Sanvido, Southland Industries, 2019
- Henry Nutt, III, Southland Industries, 2018
- Michael Bade, University of California, San Francisco, 2017
- Sutter Health, 2016
- Iris D. Tommelein, University of California, Berkeley, 2015
Note: The Pioneer Award was not presented in 2024 and 2025.
