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Past Awardees

Past Excellence in Advocacy Awardees

The Excellence in Advocacy Awards began in 2013 to coincide with the first Leadership and Advocacy Conference. These awards shine a spotlight on everyday advocates who dedicate themselves to representing their issue, cause, or organization in the public policy arena.

Lifetime Achievement

This is a marquis award that recognizes a senior level advocacy professional for her achievements and contributions to the industry over the course of her career. Designed to recognize women with more than 20 years of experience in the advocacy field (note: Formerly, the Excellence in Advocacy for a Veteran Practitioner).

  • 2025 – Suri Kasirer, President, Kasirer LLC
  • 2024 – Peggy Tighe, Principal, Powers, Pyles, Sutter & Verville PC
  • 2023 – Phyllis Greenberger, Senior Vice President of Science & Health Policy for HealthyWomen
  • 2022 – Gina Adams, Corporate Vice President for Government and Regulatory Affairs at FedEx
  • 2021 – Jody Thomas, Executive Director, National Foundation for Women Legislators (NFWL)
  • 2020 – Nancy LeaMond, Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer, AARP
  • 2019 – Lissa Druss, Founder/CEO, Strategia Consulting
  • 2018 – Barbara Hiden, Vice President, Federal Affairs, American Beverage Association
  • 2017 – Sharon McBride, Senior Director of External Affairs & Public Policy Programs, eBay
  • 2016 – Lauren Augustine, Senior Legislative Associate, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
  • 2015 – Verna L. Jones, Executive Director, The American Legion
  • 2014 – Donna Rice Hughes, CEO & President, Enough is Enough
  • 2013 – Martie Kendrick, Patton Boggs LLP

Advocate of the Year

This award recognizes a mid-career advocacy professional for extraordinary work on behalf of a her cause, industry or policy issue. Designed to recognize women with between 8-20 years of experience in the advocacy field who have achieved remarkable results for their career level.

  • 2025 – Aissa Canchola Bañez, Policy Director, Student Borrower Protection Center
  • 2024 – Libbie Sonnier, Louisiana Policy Institute for Children
  • 2023 – Adjoa B. Asamoah, Principal/CEO & The CROWN Act Champion, ABA Consulting LLC & The CROWN Coalition
  • 2022 – Shanequa Levin, CEO & Founder, Women's Diversity Network
  • 2021 – Jessica Ruttenber, Lt Col, United States Air Force
  • 2020 – Kathryn Schubert, Chief Advocacy Officer, Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Advocate on the Rise

Recognizes the advocate for early achievements in her career and potential to be a successful contributor to the field over time (note: Formerly, Excellence by an Up and Coming Advocate).

  • 2025 – Linda Pham, Manager, Government Affairs & Public Policy, S&P Global
  • 2024 – Jazzmone Sutton, National Association for Music Education
  • 2023 – Yasmin Nelson, Partner, Holland & Knight
  • 2022 – Samantha Sliney, Department of the Air Force Women's Initiative Team Co-Lead, United States Air Force
  • 2021 – Ally Bernstein-Talcott, Principal, Step Up Advocacy
  • 2020 – Victoria Palacio, State Advocacy Coordinator, Legal Action Center
  • 2019 – Hannah Holloway, Policy Specialist, Urban League of Portland
  • 2018 – Nicole Commodore, Manager Federal Policy & Advocacy, Ascension
  • 2017 – Jayni Rasmussen, Advocacy & Outreach Manager, National Recreation & Park Association
  • 2016 – Sue Nelson, Vice President, Federal Advocacy, American Heart Association (AHA)
  • 2015 – Cassie Gaffney, Policy Associate, Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC
  • 2014 – Cate McCanless, Senior Policy Advisor, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck

Excellence in a Campaign for Women’s Issues

This award recognizes the advocate for early achievements in her career and potential to be a successful contributor to the field over time. Designed to recognize women who have less than 8 years in the advocacy field  (formally Excellence in a Campaign for Women Serving Women).

  • 2025 – Joanne Goldblum, CEO, National Diaper Bank Network – “End Diaper Need/End Period Poverty”
  • 2024 – Rachel Fey, Tara Mancini, Monica Edwards, Dana Singiser, Eliane Heller & Elizabeth Toledo, Power to Decide & CAI – “Fighting Contraceptive Mis- and Disinformation for Policymakers”
  • 2023 – Na'ilah Amaru, Advocacy & Policy Strategist
  • 2022 – United States Air Force Women's Initiative Team consisting of Megan Biles, Alea Nadeem, Noel “Christy” Nolta, Mary O’Brien, Jessica Ruttenber, Samantha Sliney: The Women's Initiatives Team has demolished legacy and antiquated policy barriers to women's service, increasing readiness, recruitment and retention of women in the service.
  • 2021 – Catherine Beane, VP Public Policy & Advocacy, YWCA USA: For the YWomenVote campaign focused on ensuring women’s voices were at the forefront of policy decisions as a priority leading into the 2020 elections.
  • 2020 – Iris Wilbur Glick, Vice President, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Greater Louisville Inc., The Metro Chamber of Commerce: For her national and statewide efforts to establish reasonable accommodations for pregnant women in the workplace.
  • 2019 – Holly Harris, Executive Director, Justice Action Network/ Coalition for Public Safety
  • 2018 – Ann Sullivan, Founder/President, Madison Services Group Inc.: For her role in establishing, maintaining and getting funding for the Women Owned Small Business Federal Contracting Program.
  • 2017 – Jessica Kelly, Leadership & Programs Director, Running Start: For managing the Elect Her program on college campuses to get more young women into elected office through workshops and training.
  • 2016 – Lyric Thompson, Director of Policy and Advocacy, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW): For her multi-faceted efforts in leading a coalition of women’s rights advocacy campaign that worked with the White House, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, Peace Corps and the Millennial Challenge Corporation to launch the world’s first piece of foreign policy dedicated to the rights and empowerment of adolescent girls.
  • 2015 – Inuki Pantin, Director of Advocacy, United Nations Foundation: For her actions to initiate and build support for the passage of the federal Girls Count Act, which supports programs in developing countries to help improve the current 40% rate of birth registration and documentations for all children.
  • 2014 – The team of Alexandra Brodsky and Dana Bolger – Founding Co-Directors, Know Your IX (knowyourIX.org): For educating thousands of college students and working tirelessly to end sexual violence on college campuses.
  • 2013 –  Barbara S. Wahl, Kristine J. Dunne and Alison Lima Andersen, Arent Fox LLP: For their work on behalf of women farmers who suffered gender discrimination in the awarding of farm loans and loan servicing by the US Department of Agriculture.

Excellence in a Federal Issue Campaign

This award recognizes an effort wherein the advocate(s) successfully impacted the outcome of a federal legislative or regulatory problem or opportunity on behalf of their cause, issue, client, organization or coalition.

  • 2025 – Emily Bryan, Founding Principal, Cooley Public Strategies – “Save IMLS”
  • 2024 – Dina Kastner, NASW – “Securing Medicare Health Coverage Changes for Social Workers”
  • 2023 – Allyson Perleoni, Association of American Medical Colleges
  • 2022 – Sarah Butts, Director of Public Policy, National Association of Social Workers: For advocating for student loan debt relief on behalf of the social work profession, including exacting changes to the PSLF program.
  • 2021 – Hannah Wesolowski, Director, Field Advocacy, NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Illness: For a campaign focused on using personal stories to share the impact the COVID crisis had on mental health and the importance of increased funding.
  • 2020 – Sarah Meek, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs, ANCOR: For ensuring Medicaid disability providers receive desperately needed federal funding and support during COVID-19.
  • 2019 – Bethany Aronhalt, Senior Director, Media Relations, National Retail Federation
  • 2018 – Jennifer McGuigan Babcock, Vice President, Association for Community Affiliated Plans: For her work in obtaining a provision in the Balanced Budget Act of 2018 requiring states to measure and report the quality of care provided to children in Medicaid and CHIP.
  • 2017 – Katrina Velasquez, Esq., MA, Policy Director, Eating Disorders Coalition: For the Anna Westin Act aimed at training school officials and healthcare professionals to identify kids with eating disorders and on how to intervene.
  • 2016 – Susan Awad, Director, Advocacy and Government Relations, American Society of Addiction Medicine: For successfully advocating that physicians be allowed to raise their prescribing privileges of the opioid treatment, buprenorphine, and for helping to establish the Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose (CSOO).
  • 2015 – Beth DeBrosse, Senior Director, Government Relations, American Iron and Steel Institute: For her efforts to raise the voice and level the playing field for the steel industry and its hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs in the Congressional vote on Trade Promotion Authority.
  • 2014 – Virginia Sloan, President, The Constitution Project: For organizing a successful effort to protect the rights of indigent defendants by restoring funding for federal public defenders.
  • 2013 – Dorothy Coleman, National Association of Manufacturers: For outstanding leadership in the run up to the 2012 fiscal cliff. 

Excellence in a State Issue Campaign

This award recognizes an effort wherein the advocate(s) successfully impacted the outcome of a state or local legislative or regulatory problem or opportunity on behalf of their cause, issue, client, organization or coalition.

  • 2025 – Rachel Bhalla, Emily Michalakes, Megan Simmons, Sarah Sumadi & Catherine Tang, Everytown for Gun Safety – “Commonsense Laws for Safer Communities”
  • 2024 – M. Aurora Vasquez, Sandy Hook Promise, “Indiana House Bill 1104 (Students Safe at School Act)”
  • 2023 – Danielle Smith, Executive Director, NASW Ohio Chapter
  • 2022 – Adjoa B. Asamoah, Principal/CEO, ABA Consulting LLC: For leading the groundbreaking CROWN Act movement on behalf of the CROWN Coalition she co-created and spearheading the legislative victory to codify the nation’s first Office on African American Affairs.
  • 2021 – Ledy Vankavage, Senior Legislative Attorney, Best Friends Animal Society: For her work on legislation to ensure that residents of state-funded affordable housing are not unnecessarily separated from their pets
  • 2020 – Kate O'Malley, CEO, K.O. Strategies: For her campaign to support the passage of a referendum to allow Winnebago County to issue a half-cent sales tax to support mental health and addiction services.
  • 2019 – Team: American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association (ASDSA), Kristin A. Hellquist, MS, CAE Director of Advocacy and Practice Affairs, Emily Besser, Manager of Advocacy and Practice Affairs, Jenny Zales, Advocacy and Practice Affairs Associate
  • 2018 – Amy Wickliffe, Partner, McCarthy Strategic Solutions, LLC: For her success in getting Marsy’s Law passed to amend the Kentucky Constitution to allow victims of crimes the same rights as criminals under the law.
  • 2017 – Jeanne Smoot, Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy, Tahirih Justice Center: For her efforts to help end Child Marriage Across America.
  • 2016 – Anya Coverman, Associate General Counsel, North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA): For her efforts to pass legislation that permits more states to allow startup businesses to raise capital from investors through crowd funding.
  • 2015 – Kathleen Bernstein-Harris, Sr. Program Manager – Teen Driving Initiative, National Safety Council: For leading a successful and widely supported, state-based National Teen Safe-Driving Campaign.
  • 2014 – Lorri Shealy Unumb, Vice President, State Government Affairs, Autism Speaks: For successfully passing landmark “Ryan’s Law” legislation in South Carolina and an additional 35 states, requiring insurance companies to provide coverage for the treatment for autism.
  • 2013 – Amber Harding & Marta Beresin, Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless: For successfully challenging harmful changes to DC’s Homeless Services Reform Act. 

Excellence in a Controversial Issue Campaign

This award recognizes an effort wherein the advocate successfully impacted the outcome of a federal legislative or regulatory problem or opportunity on an issue that was controversial or not very popular.

  • 2022 – Melissa Hemphill, Major, Instructor USAFA, Department of the Air Force: For her work on the CADET Act and her ability to change through law what others said could not be done.
  • 2021 – Tara Mancini, Senior Manager of Public Policy, Power to Decide: For expanding contraceptive access through bipartisan state-level policies and an online toolkit to support policymakers, state officials, and advocates.
  • 2020 – Roberta “Toni” Meyers Douglas, Director of State Strategy and Reentry, Legal Action Center: For her advocacy for compassionate release and transitional services for people incarcerated in prisons and jails during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • 2019 – Dana Gold, Senior Counsel and Director of Education, The Government Accountability Project
  • 2018 – Lauren Alfred, Vice President, Policy; Partnerships, Sandy Hook Promise: For development of the STOP School Violence Act which provides $1.075B over 10 years for school violence prevention under the Department of Justice, passed into law within the 2018 Omnibus.
  • 2017 – Women’s March, Inc. Team (Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, Carmen Perez): For organizing NRA2DOJ the 18-mile march from the NRA Headquarters to the Department of Justice to call attention to the issue of gun control.

Excellence in a Campaign Using Innovation

This award recognizes an advocacy effort wherein the advocate(s) used technology and/or innovation to achieve a positive result. Examples would include new or novel uses of software, hardware, platforms, gadgets and devices. Does not include social media efforts.

  • 2024 – Latoya Peterson, Angela Neal & Austin Hodge, AARP – “QR Codes and Online Migration for Offline Activists”
  • 2022 – YMCA Government Relations Team (Kelly Kennai, Kelsey McKim, Derek Summerville): For their work on Youth Advocacy Day on the Hill to introduce 220 youth to federal policymaking, YMCA advocacy efforts, careers in public policy, and more.

Excellence in Communications in an Advocacy Campaign

This award recognizes an advocacy effort that succeeded because of the communication strategy, tactics and implementation.

  • 2025 – April Muller, Senior Strategist, Advocacy Communications,  Best Friends Animal Society - “2025 Action Team Newsletter”
  • 2024 – Sydney Shepherd & Hanna DeVarona, CURA Strategies - “Advocating for Research Funding to Help Find a Cure for Polycystic Kidney Disease”
  • 2023 – 4201 Schools Association
  • 2022 – Nicole Patton, Manager of State Government Relations, National Down Syndrome Society: For her innovative use of social media to educate the public on Down syndrome and the inequalities people with disabilities experience.

Excellence in Advocacy by a Volunteer Advocate

This award recognizes an advocacy effort wherein the advocate is a volunteer, not a career paid professional. The advocate turned their passion project into a formal advocacy effort that effected legislative, judicial or policy change in the subject matter area.

  • 2025 – Betsy Robb, 2025 Action Team member, Best Friends Animal Society
  • 2024 – Michelle Alonso, Volunteer, Alzheimer's Association. Click here for Michelle's story.
  • 2023 – Carol Podgorski, PhD, LMFT, Past President, American Association of Marriage & Family Therapists - NY Chapter
  • 2022 – Megan Biles, Major, Department of the Air Force Women's Initiative Team, United States Air Force: For her work on the Air Force's Women’s Initiative Team resulting in several bills passed removing barriers for women in the military.