Jul 19, 2018
We are pleased to announce that Kathy Tomlin, CCE, has been awarded the NACM National Award of Exceptional Achievement honoring Alice M. H. McGregor. 
After graduating from St. Mary’s College in California, Tomlin began working for the federal government before what she described as accidentally falling into credit, and effectively falling in love with the industry. Tomlin joined NACM in 1980 after accepting a job in credit she thought would be a temporary placement. However, when she was offered a permanent position only a week into a temp position, Tomlin said she was more than happy to take on the job and began working for Kaiser Cement for the next 26 years. This was just the beginning of her journey as a credit manager.
”I saw [credit] as an opportunity to grow and learn something new,” Tomlin said. And grow, she did. On June 11, 2018, Tomlin was named the recipient of the Alice M. H. McGregor Award of Exceptional Achievement. She also received the O.D. Glaus Credit Executive of Distinction Award in 2013, making this her second NACM award. Both distinctions are the two highest honors presented by the association. Kathy has also served on her past local affiliate’s board as well as NACM’s Board of Directors six years ago.
Tomlin has been involved with the construction credit industry since the start of her career, an industry where she said she never regretted becoming involved. She has remained in construction-related fields for nearly four decades, sticking with Kaiser for a quarter of a century before moving to San Jose, California, to become the regional credit manager for Central Concrete Supply.
Yet, serving on the board and receiving two prestigious honors isn’t the end for Tomlin, she said. Since the day she was introduced to credit 40 years ago, Tomlin doesn’t anticipate leaving the field or switching careers in the near future. She isn’t done yet; she’s continuing with forward momentum.
“It’s an award I never ever anticipated receiving. As Toni Drake, CCE, and I tell some of the people on the awards committee, it’s an honor even being nominated for the award, let alone being selected. I’m a little overwhelmed by that,” Tomlin said. “As long as I’m sitting in a credit chair somewhere, I’m trying to move it forward and promote the causes.”
Those who are awarded the Alice M. H. McGregor award are creative problem solvers and credit practitioners in their own companies, local affiliates, the national organization and the business credit profession as a whole. These award winners also serve as role models, setting the highest standards for their colleagues in the industry.