FRENCH LICK, Ind. (October 2, 2026) – Accelerate Indiana Municipalities (Aim) has announced that Phil Jenkins, Mayor of the City of Nappanee, is the recipient of the 2026 Russell G. Lloyd Distinguished Service Award. Jenkins was recognized during the Annual Awards Luncheon, presented by Baker Tilly, on Wednesday, September 30, at the 2026 Aim Ideas Summit in French Lick.
From left: Baker Tilly Principal Eric Walsh, Ally Schiefer, Morgan Price, Caroline Campbell, Diane Jenkins, Nappanee Mayor Phil Jenkins, Rick Jenkins, Sandy Jenkins, Coltan Schiefer, Holden Price, Clay Campbell, and Aim President and Columbia City Mayor Ryan Daniel
The Russell G. Lloyd Distinguished Service Award is Aim’s highest individual honor, reserved for municipal officials who have made exceptional, lasting contributions to local government and public service in Indiana.
First elected in 2015 as Nappanee’s first ever full-time mayor, Jenkins brought two decades of experience in architecture, construction, and municipal service to City Hall. Over the past 10 years, his administration has delivered practical, lasting investment across public safety, infrastructure, downtown revitalization, and housing. That includes projects like the reconstruction of Woodview Drive, a new Nappanee Fire Station funded without raising taxes for debt service, a Downtown Master Plan supported by a forgivable loan program for local developers, and the 125-home Wellfield Community development. He also co-chaired the WaNee Vision 2020 campaign, a nearly $6 million public-private effort supporting organizations that serve children, families, and seniors across Nappanee.
Jenkins’ impact reaches well beyond his own community through leadership on the Michiana Area Council of Governments, the South Bend-Elkhart Regional Partnership, Horizon Education Alliance, the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County, and Aim. Members of Jenkins’ family were on hand to celebrate with him in French Lick.
“The Russell G. Lloyd Distinguished Service Award is reserved for people whose leadership has left fingerprints not just on their own community, but across their region and across our state,” said Aim CEO Matt Greller. “Phil Jenkins meets that bar and then some. Under his leadership, Nappanee has invested in the things that make a community strong for the long haul: public safety, downtown, housing, and quality of life, all delivered with the kind of fiscal discipline that others should aspire to. That’s exactly what this award is about. And frankly, he is also a kind, committed and thoughtful individual that I am honored to know.”
In its 50th year, the Aim Annual Awards program, presented by Baker Tilly, recognizes communities and individuals in municipal government for excellence and outstanding achievement. A seven-member panel of judges selected this year’s winners from a competitive field of nominees from around the state.
Conference Facts:
2026 Aim Ideas Summit
September 29-October 1, 2026
French Lick Springs Resort | French Lick, Indiana
Attendance: 1,100 (pending final registration count)
Further information: www.aimindiana.org
Since the 1890s, Aim, formerly the Indiana Association of Cities and Towns, has been an advocate for Indiana municipalities. Aim is the official voice of municipal government in Indiana, with more than 460 cities and towns as members. Our purpose is to foster, promote and advocate for the success of Hoosier municipalities as laboratories of innovation, hubs of talent and the engines driving our state’s economy.