The Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is presented annually during the CSCMP EDGE conference. The DSA honors an outstanding individual who exemplifies significant, consistent, and career-long contributions to the development of the logistics and supply chain management disciplines.
Any individual who has made significant contributions to the fields of logistics and supply chain management are eligible to receive the Distinguished Service Award. This includes practitioners with responsibilities in functional areas of logistics and supply chain management, consultants, and educators. For example, an individual could be nominated for contributions or innovations involving technology or in educating others about logistics and supply chain management, or for increasing awareness of the critical role that logistics and supply chain management plays in the global economy to the business community at large.
The nomination period for the 2023 Distinguished Service Award runs from January 9 to March 15, 2023. Submit a nomination.
Masao Nishi
Principal
M. Nishi Strategic Advisory
Masao Nishi is a supply chain management, logistics, and transportation professional. He has held management consulting, business development, and operations responsibilities. Currently, he is Principal at M. Nishi Strategic Advisory. Previously he was Vice President, Supply Chain Management and a Corporate Officer at Sysco Corporation, a $50 billion food service distributor.
Before Sysco, he was a senior executive at several technology start-up businesses, Partner at KPMG Consulting, Vice President at Sabre Group and Manugistics (Blue Yonder), and President of a subsidiary at Leaseway Transportation (Penske). He was also with Sedlak Management Consultants and Western Electric Company.
He is an active member of the supply chain community and has served on various roles for CSCMP since 1980. In the last three decades, Masao has served on the Advisory Boards of multiple organizations. Currently, he is the Chair for the Supply Chain and Analytics Advisory Board at the University of Missouri – Saint Louis and also sits on the McKelvey Engineering Alumni Advisory Board at Washington University. He has an undergraduate engineering degree in applied mathematics and computer science and an MBA, both from Washington University in St. Louis.
Past Recipients
2021: Dale Rogers, ON Semiconductor Professor of Business at Arizona State University
2020: Matthew A. Waller, Ph.D., Dean of the Sam M. Walton College of Business
2019: Kathy Wengel, Executive Vice President and Chief Global Supply Chain Officer for Johnson & Johnson
2018: Dr. John Gattorna, Author, Academic and Principal of Gattorna Alignment
2017: Dr. Nancy Nix, Executive Director of Achieving Women's Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education (AWESOME)
2016: Dr. Chris Caplice, Executive Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
2015: Robert Martichenko, Chief Executive Officer, LeanCor Supply Chain Group
2014: Mike Regan, Chief of Relationship Development, TranzAct Technologies, Inc.
2013: Abré Pienaar, CEO, iPlan
2012: Ann Drake, Chairman & CEO, DSC Logistics
2011: Dr. James R. Stock, Frank Harvey Endowed Professor of Marketing, University of South Florida
2010: Charles L. Taylor, Founder and Principal, Awake! Consulting
2009: Joel L. Sutherland, Managing Director of Lehigh University's Center for Value Chain Research
2008: Arthur Mesher, CEO, The Descartes Systems Group Inc.
2007: Thomas W. Speh, Distinguished Professor of Distribution, Miami University
2006: Herbert S. Shear, Chief Executive Officer, GENCO
2005: Martin G. Christopher, Professor of Marketing and Logistics, Cranfield University, UK
2004: John Thomas Mentzer, Distinguished Professor of Logistics, University of Tennessee
2003: H. Lee Scott, Jr., Chairman, Wal-Mart Corporation
2002: Donald J. Schneider, Chairman, Schneider Logistics, Inc.
2001: Ralph W. Drayer, Vice President Customer Service & Logistics, Procter & Gamble
1999: Richard F. Powers, President, Insight, Inc.
1998: William C. Copacino, Managing Partner, Andersen Consulting Strategic Services Practice
1997: Yossi Sheffi, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1996: Larry S. Mulkey, President, Ryder Integrated Logistics
1995: Joseph C. Andraski, Vice President Integrated Logistics, Nabisco Inc.
1994: Roger W. Carlson, Executive Vice President, Exel Logistics-North America
1993: C. John Langley, John H. Dove Distinguished Professor, University of Tennessee
1992: Howard S. Gochberg, Vice President (retired), Land O'Lakes, Inc.
1991: John J. Coyle, Exec. Director, Center for Logistics Research, Pennsylvania State University
1990: Roger W. Kallock, Chairman, Cleveland Consulting Associates
1989: Frederick W. Smith, CEO/Chairman, Federal Express Corporation
1988: George A. Gecowets, Executive Vice President, Council of Logistics Management
1987: Ronald E. Seger, Vice President, A.T. Kearney, Inc.
1986: Douglas M. Lambert, Professor of Marketing, University of South Florida
1985: Arthur W. Todd, Director of Purchasing, Lincoln Electric Company
1984: Bob Packwood, United States Senate
1983: Bernard J. Hale, Vice President, Distribution Services, Bergen Brunswig Corporation
1982: Jerome D. Krassenstein, Vice President, Chessie System
1981: Robert V. Delaney, Manager of Distribution, International Paper Company
1980: Clifford F. Lynch, Vice President of Distribution, Quaker Oats Company
1979: Wendell M. Stewart, Vice President, A.T. Kearney, Inc.
1978: Robert J. Franco, Vice Chairman, Spector Industries
1977: Kenneth B. Ackerman, Chairman, Distribution Centers, Inc.
1976: Bernard J. LaLonde, Professor of Marketing & Logistics, The Ohio State University
1975: Burr W. Hupp, Managing Director, Drake Sheahan/Stewart Dougall
1974: James L. Heskett, Professor of Business Logistics, Harvard University
1973: Robert E. Schellberg, Vice President, Distribution, Eastman Kodak Company
1972: Warren Blanding, Executive Vice President, Marketing Publications, Inc.
1971: Mark Egan, Tourism Advisor for Turkey
1970: Gayton E. Germane, Professor of Logistics, Stanford University
1969: Bruce J. Riggs, General Traffic Manager, Norton Company
1968: Edward W. Smykay, Professor, Michigan State University
1967: E. Grosvenor Plowman, Vice President, Traffic, US Steel
1966: Donald J. Bowersox, Vice President/General Manager, E.F. MacDonald Stamp Company
1965: Will Gribble, Director, Customer Service, Pillsbury Company