The Naomi Henderson Legacy Awards

A tribute to Naomi Henderson, a true pioneer in the field of corporate qualitative research.

About

Naomi Henderson

A legend in the minds of many

Naomi was a legend in the minds of many in the insights community and among the pioneers in the corporate qualitative research arena. If you were one of the lucky ones to have been her friend, attended one of her training courses, or watched her speak on a college campus, it was a guarantee that you left smiling from her jokes and down-to-earth nature...along with a notebook full of tips and ‘Naomi-isms’ on how to better conduct qualitative market research.

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The Naomi Henderson Legacy Awards

The Awards celebrate two of Naomi’s loves: the art of teaching and helping upskill people on how to moderate qualitative research whether through RIVA, at events and webinars, and on university campuses. If you had a question, Naomi was known to make herself available.

With the Naomi Henderson Legacy Awards, Insights Association, QRCA and RIVA Market Research and Training Institute seek to support the next Naomi Hendersons now and future.

The Learning Award

The Learning Award will honor a professional with 2 to 5 years experience who use, conduct or provide qualitative research services. This person demonstrates a true commitment to including inclusive qualitative research practices as part of their career goals. The recipient will be awarded, among other things: a qualitative seminar at RIVA, a mentorship, memberships at Insights Association and QRCA, and passes to the 2026 Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) as well as the 2026 QRCA Annual Conference.

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The Teacher Award

The Teaching Award will honor an educator from any corner of the insights or academic communities who demonstrates a dedication to advance excellence and inclusive best practices in teaching qualitative research and methods whether via published works, curriculums or an overall body of work. The recipient will be awarded, among other things: national exposure for their teaching methods within the insights community, memberships at Insights Association and QRCA, and passes to the 2026 Corporate Researchers Conference (CRC) as well as the 2026 QRCA Annual Conference.

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Founded & Managed by:

More About Naomi

Owner and CEO of RIVA Market Research and co-founder of Riva Training Institute

Her career started in 1964 as a door-to-door survey researcher. She went on to found RIVA Market Research in her basement with just an IBM typewriter and a two-line phone in 1981. A year later, on a train ride home with her sister, Jo Ann Hairston, RIVA Training Institute was conceived. They realized there was a moderation training need for corporate and non-profit researchers after attending a “less than stellar” training session led by someone who only had academic experience, not practical, brand experience.

How influential was Naomi? Let’s count the ways:

1: One of the first African Americans in the qualitative research business
1: RIVA Training is the first known non-academic, qualitative market research dedicated training institutions
427: Pages in her book, "Secrets of a Master Moderator", often cited by universities and researchers alike
6,000: Qualitative research studies conducted for clients
7,000: Students trained in both public and custom trainings
10,000: Pages of curriculum written for 12 in-house RIVA courses
50,000: Individuals Naomi talked to about conducting research since 1965
100,000: Individuals that have been part of research Naomi conducted