CCA instituted the Michael Graznak Award as a memorial to an outstanding member who met an untimely death. It honors members age 35 or under who have made superior contributions to cooperative communications and who give promise of having a brilliant and successful future.
DEADLINE: Nominations must be submitted by FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2026
CCA instituted the Michael Graznak Award in 1977 as a memorial to an outstanding member who met an untimely death. It honors members under the age of 36 who have made superior contributions to cooperative communications and who give promise of having a brilliant and prosperous future.
Throughout his career, Graznak supported cooperatives and was actively involved in CCA. During the course of many decades, 46 CCA members have been honored in his memory. This year’s recipient is Tessa Burgener of Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company.
Tessa has successfully self-learned graphic design platforms to create a brand awareness that had not been seen before at Aurora Cooperative. She has also created processes within the marketing team as well as externally for all employees to follow to keep marketing and communications consistent and clear throughout the cooperative to ultimately create the best experience for their growers/customers.
She showcases her ability to communicate effectively externally by how often she sends emails, text messages, and push notifications. Knowing that their customers don’t love being spammed with communication, she works with the data science team to create lists based on a customer’s business with Aurora. This way, customers only receive communications that are pertinent to their business with Aurora.
Tessa has been a member of CCA for one year attending her first conference last year in Colorado Springs to gain insights into other cooperative communications and what the future of communication is. As well, she attends as many CCA trainings through the year that she can.
Please join us in congratulating Tessa Burgener as the 2026 Michael Graznak Award recipient!
