The Network Professional Association (NPA, www.npa.org) has announced the results of their 9th annual Awards for Professionalism.  Individuals receiving this honor are identified below.  The awards are announced in conjunction with the NPA's annual member dinner and awards dinner held at Interop.

Best Networking Professional – Career Achievement Award is awarded to an individual who has demonstrated the highest levels of integrity, professionalism and ethics throughout their career. Joe Sifer is a Booz Allen Hamilton Senior Vice President with over 20 years of experience in information technology (IT) and telecommunications systems consulting.

Professional Excellence and Innovation Award honors the network computing professional who has made the most effective combination of the ideals of professionalism and the innovative use of networking technology and/or products for a particular networking project. In the Professional Excellence and Innovation Award: Corporate Small Business categorhy, Zachary Schuler was chosen. Zachary Schuler founded Cal Net Technology Group in 1995 in order to fill a growing need for quality technology consulting services for the small and middle market. Zack’s leadership, dedication and focus have helped build Cal Net into a thriving company of talented technology consultants and engineers, relied upon by hundreds of businesses and considered by Microsoft as one of their top partners in Los Angeles.

Outstanding Mentor Award honors the networking professional who has made the most effective combination of the ideals of professionalism and the accomplished mentor. This year’s winner, Chandrashekar Thota started a unique and first of its kind community website in Hyderabad exclusively for developers working on Microsoft technologies and now has 1000+ members and 120+ unique features. He encourages techies to become active speakers, mentors and authors.

Top of the Mark - Volunteer Award honors the networking professional who has made the most effective combination of the ideals of professionalism and is a notable example of the best in giving back through selfless effort. Rahul Nathan volunteers a large amount of time leading groups such as My-TUG (Mysore Technology User Group) and MY-TDG (Mysore Technology Developer Group) which focus on Microsoft Technologies like the Windows Server, Exchange Server, Dot Net and SQL Server. He has also lead the Microsoft SQL Server Chapter of the Professional Association for SQL Server (SQL PASS) in Mysore and Bangalore IT Pro Users Group.