Houston, Texas – (January 20, 2026) — The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP), the global authority in materials protection and performance, proudly announces the recipients of its 2026 Annual Service and Technical Awards, which will be presented during the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, March 15–19, 2026, in Houston, Texas. These distinguished honors recognize individuals and organizations whose work continues to advance corrosion control, materials performance, and asset protection worldwide.
“AMPP’s awards program reflects the depth and breadth of expertise across our global community,” said Rebecca Griebe, Senior Director of User Experience at AMPP. “The 2026 honorees represent sustained commitment to technical excellence, service, and innovation that directly strengthens infrastructure, safety, and performance across industries.”
2026 Service and Technical Award Recipients
- Elaine Bowman Distinguished Service Award: Mario Celant, Douglas C. Hansen, Marco De Marco, Marco Ormellese, Sunilkumar D. Kahar
- Joyce Wright Industry Impact Award: Ashley Caria
- Educator Award (in honor of Herbert Uhlig): Brendy Rincon Troconis
- Educator Award (in honor of Richard Drisko): Zoë Coull
- Oliver Moghissi Asset Integrity Management Award: Mohsen Achour, Carlos Palacios, Thiago Mesquita, Shelly Zhou, Samuel Okulaya
- Early Career Excellence Award: Amrutha MS, Ryan Katona
- Distinguished Organization Award: Belzona Alabama, Bin Quraya Company, China Petroleum Engineering & Construction Company Southwest Company, Consulting Services Department, Materials Corrosion & Inspection Organization
- Willis Whitney Technical Achievement Award: Nick Birbilis
- Oladis Troconis de Rincón Field Applied Technology Award: Roberto Morana, Orlando Salas, Anil Kumar Chikkam, Ahmad Raza Khan Rana & Graham Brigham, Abdullah Al Nami
- Christopher M. Fowler Award for International Cooperation: Sandy Williamson
- Russell Brannon & John Keane Signature Award: Kenneth B. Tator
- Fellows Honor: Nayef Alanazi, Yoon-Seok Choi, James F. Dante, Mariano Iannuzzi, Bjorn Helge Morland, Xiangyang Zhu, Sublime Ningshen, Helena Alves, Adhulhameed Al-Hashem, Brian Dale Chambers, Philippe Marcus, George Ian Winning, Dake Xu
Craftsmanship and Field Application Awards
- AMPP Craftsmanship Award: Michael Magro Tavas, Alan Griffiths, Wayne Antonenko, John Smith, David Lebrun, Ron Vasilik, Evan Linquito, Ralph Cox
- Robert Baboian Successful and Innovative Field Application of Corrosion Technology Award: Leila Es Sebar
Publications and Conference Awards
- Best Conference Paper:
- Characterizing Environmental Severity and Atmospheric Corrosivity Categorization in Alaska: Raghu Srinivasan, Jozef Hunter, Lawrence Giron Jr., John Fitzgerald III
- Assessment of Inductive AC Interference Mitigation Strategies: Ahmed Mahgoub
- Ivy M. Parker Award:
- Investigation of Iron Dissolution Mechanism in Acidic Solutions with and without Dissolved CO₂—Part I: Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Measurements: Luntao Wang, Huiru Wang, Negar Moradighadi, Alain Pailleret, Srdjan Nešić, Philippe Marcus
Project Awards
- Outstanding Engineering in the Area of Materials Protection or Remediation: Redefining Ni Alloy Boundaries
- Excellence in Coating Craftsmanship (in honor of E. Crone Knoy and Charles Munger): High Falls Gorge Steel Painting
- Outstanding Achievement in Coatings Work in a Fixed Shop (in honor of Eric Kline): Pinnacle Manufacturing
- Excellence in Management of a Complex Materials Protection Project (in honor of George Campbell): Arraiján Tank Farm, Panamá
- Recognition of Excellence in Aesthetic Merit in a Coatings Project (in honor of William Johnson): BIGO del Porto di Genova
- Community Service Award: USS Midway
2026 Honoree Night
Award recipients will be celebrated during Honoree Night, a signature AMPP event featuring networking, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and entertainment.
Honoree Night
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Union Station Lobby
$95 Individual Ticket
Honorees and their guests will gather in an elegant setting to celebrate excellence and connect with peers from across the global corrosion and coatings community. Tickets can be purchased during conference registration at: https://ace.ampp.org/registration
“The Honoree Night experience is a meaningful moment to recognize the people behind the progress,” Griebe added. “It brings our community together to honor contributions that move the industry forward.”
For more information about the awards program and the AMPP Annual Conference + Expo, visit https://ace.ampp.org.
ABOUT AMPP
The Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP) is a global leader dedicated to the protection of assets and the performance of industrial and natural materials. Established in 2021, AMPP brings together nearly 150 years of combined expertise from legacy organizations to advance solutions that enhance safety, security, and sustainability across industries. Serving more than 40,000 members in over 150 countries, AMPP is the largest organization of its kind, providing innovative standards, certifications, training, and resources. Headquartered in the United States with offices in Houston and Pittsburgh, AMPP also operates regional offices in Brazil, Canada, China, Dubai (training center), Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. www.ampp.org