The National Cleaners Association (NCA) has been named a finalist in the 2026 Stevie® Awards for Women in Business in the category of Organization of the Year – Government or Non-Profit – Ten or Less Employees.” The association is one of 15 finalists representing six countries in the international category.
“This recognition validates the direction I believed NCA needed to take,” NCA Executive Director Dawn Hargrove-Avery said. “We could not solve the limitations of a small staff simply by working longer and carrying more. We needed to preserve what our organization knows, redesign how work moves and use AI responsibly to extend our ability to serve.”
NCA operates with two full-time staff members and one part-time staff member. Its transformation demonstrates how women leaders can apply AI and operational innovation without abandoning the relationships, institutional knowledge and human judgment that make an organization trusted.
The approach has focused on using technology as a capacity-building tool. NCA has worked to organize specialized industry knowledge, strengthen educational delivery, improve member communications and create more consistent systems for supporting professional garment-care businesses.
“Leadership is not about introducing technology for the sake of appearing innovative,” Hargrove-Avery said. “It is about recognizing what the organization and its members will need next, then building the capacity to deliver it. AI was never the goal. Better member outcomes were.”
The Stevie Awards for Women in Business recognize women executives, entrepreneurs, employees and the organizations they lead. The 2026 judging process involved more than 190 professionals worldwide across seven specialized juries. Finalists were required to earn an average judging score of at least 8 out of 10. NCA’s final placement will be revealed during the awards ceremony on Nov. 16, 2026, at the New York Marriott Marquis.