7th Annual Governors Reception Recap

Women in Government Relations' 7th Annual Governors Reception took place on January 28 during the National Governors Association Winter Meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, D.C. The reception honored two awardees, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) and Amelia Chassé Alcivar, Chief of Staff for Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD).

Photo by Jack Conroy

The night was attended in record numbers by numerous governor’s staff, non-profit and corporate sponsors, and special guests, including Governor Laura Kelly (D-KS) and Governor Larry Hogan (R-MD). The awards ceremony was kicked off by the event Co-Chair Jen Ustynoski, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the National Association of Home Builders. She thanked attendees and WEN sponsors for their continued support of women in state government and government relations and introduced the staff award sponsor, Toney Anaya, Global Head of Government Relations at DoorDash. Toney shared his praise for Amelia, citing that she is the first woman gubernatorial Chief of Staff for the State of Maryland, her long and successful career in state government relations, and how she is a well-liked and well-respected by her peers. He then invited Amelia onstage to accept her Governor’s Staff Award and provide brief remarks.

Brooke Parker, the event Co-Chair and Manager with Deloitte, then introduced Heidi Green, Managing Director at Deloitte, as the Governor’s Award sponsor to present the final award to Governor Lujan Grisham. Heidi spoke of Governor Lujan Grisham’s long record of service to the State of New Mexico, as the nation’s first Democratic Latina Governor, and recently the founder and co-chair of the Democratic Governors Association’s Women Governors Fund, the first and only fundraising initiative dedicated to electing more women governors. She added that Governor Lujan Grisham has worked tirelessly on efforts of equal pay for women, access to affordable healthcare, and improving the public education system. Heidi invited Governor Lujan Grisham onstage to accept her Governor’s Award and provided brief remarks.

Thank you to our event and WEN sponsors for supporting the 7th Annual Governors Reception. If you missed the event, you can watch a recording of the program here.