In 2008, the Ambassador of the Year Award was renamed the Hershel Strickland Award to honor the memory of contributions he made to all aspects of GMIS.  The award was initially established by Jack Humphries and the GMIS Board to recognize a GMIS member who recruits the most new members in a year, thus helping to make GMIS a great organization.

2008 - Elaine Isler, City of Mobile, Alabama
2007 - Marc Pfeiffer, New Jersey Division of Local Government Services
2006 - Matthew Wainwright, Rhode Island Chapter President
2004 - Michael D. Esolda, New Jersey Chapter President
2003 - Janet Claggett, Richland County, South Carolina
2002 - Elaine Olah, Santa Fe, New Mexico
2001 - Johnny A. Walton, Aiken County, South Carolina
2000 - Charles Downey, Atlanta, Georgia
1999 - Doug Taylor, City of Tuscaloosa, Alabama
1998 - Robert (Bob) Canney, Black Hawk County, Waterloo, Iowa
1990 - Jana Bagwell, City of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1989 - Frank W. Strausbaugh, Savannah, Georgia
1988 - Rovert (Bob) Canney, Black Hawk County, Waterloo, Iowa