The Defense Investigators Association (DIA) board of directors will present the Investigator of the Year Award at the  Spring Conference and annual General Membership Meeting, held in May of each year to a member who best exemplifies the dedication and determination required to perform the duties of a defense investigator at the highest professional level. The award recipient will be invited to attend the Spring Conference (conference fees waived) and be awarded a free membership for that year (or the following year if membership has been pre-paid).

Award Criteria

The nominee:

1. Must be a DIA active member or associate member in good standing (must have been a member the previous calender year). Current DIA Board members are ineligible.
2. May be nominated by a DIA member, supervisor or defense attorney
3. The nominating party must submit the nomination and two supporting letters of recommendation from persons familiar with the nominees’s work
4. The nomination and supporting letters should describe how the nominee has performed his/her duties in defense of the indigent accused in an exemplary manner and in accordance with the ideals of the DIA; i.e. professionalism, diligence, resourcefulness and integrity.
5. The nomination and supporting letters should be submitted to the Investigator of the Year Award Committee by March 31st.

Selection Process

• The criteria and application process will be made available to all members in the newsletter on the website and at conferences.
• Once nominations are received by The Investigator of the Year Award committee, the committee will select three finalists and submit their applications to the DIA board of directors who will vote on the winner at least thirty days before the Spring Conference.
• A committee member will then contact the recipient to announce the award and invite the winner to the conference.
• The Investigator of the Year Award will then be announced in the next association newsletter (DIAlog) and on the website (www.cdia.org).
• The Investigator of the Year Award will be presented at the Spring Conference and will include a plaque commemorating the award.