LWVDC AWARDS
Each year at our Annual Meeting, LWVDC honors deserving individuals and groups from the community and highlights their accomplishments with the following awards.
Sheila Willet Distinguished Service Award
This award is named for Sheila Willet, the long-time office manager and member of LWVDC, who exemplified dedication to the League’s mission and active support of its activities. The award is given each year to a LWVDC member who demonstrates this dedication or has seen to fruition a significant initiative that contributes to the mission of the League.
2026 Awardee: Elinor Hart
This honor is in recognition of Elinor Hart’s service to LWVDC, in many ways and over her decades of membership, including but not limited to: advancing the League’s efforts on DC statehood, as Elinor spearheaded & organized the study that led to LWVDC adopting a position in favor of statehood, and she worked tirelessly to present that position to Convention where it was adopted as a LWVUS position; organizing the LWVDC voter guide; chairing the LWVDC Committee on Housing; serving multiple terms on the LWVDC Board; serving as president of LWVNCA; and organizing many educational programs for LWVDC members.
2025 Awardee: Sarah McMeans
2024 Awardee: Lee Palmer
2023 Awardee: Kathy Chiron
2022 Awardee: Kathryn Ray and Dennis Beaufort
2021 Awardee: Geraldine Whitley
2020 Awardee: Judy Osborne
2019 Awardee: Alexandra Dickson and Abigail Nichols
Linda Beebe Award for Making Democracy Work
This award is presented to an exceptional individual and/or organization working to improve democracy within Washington, DC. It is named for Linda Beebe, President of LWVDC from 2015-2018, to honor her dedication to the League’s mission of engaging and educating voters, improving elections, and defending democracy within DC. The award honors Linda by formally recognizing individuals and/or organizations that have been actively engaged in keeping our city strong, fair, vibrant, and livable. Awardees have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to making democracy work within one or more of the following areas of work: (1) expanding voting rights for DC residents, (2) increasing local autonomy of the DC government, (3) improving DC elections, or (4) engaging and educating DC voters.
2025 Awardee: Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton
This honor is in recognition of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton’s steadfast commitment to advocating for full rights for the people of Washington, DC and working meticulously to strengthen our liberty to govern ourselves. She has served 18 terms, introducing a statehood bill in every session of Congress since she was elected and providing the leadership to get it passed in the House in 2020 and 2021. Congresswoman Norton sought changes to the Home Rule Act, which originally required that DC wait to enact its laws until Congress approved the measures passed by DC elected officials. Now, in our current system, there are specific lay-over periods when our laws are subject to disapproval resolutions, but if lay-over periods expire without disapprovals, then DC laws automatically go into effect. Congresswoman Norton has also arranged for DC to continue to stay open during federal government shutdowns, getting annual shutdown exemptions enacted every year since 2013. And she has brought other economic benefits to the District – including funds for DC students to attend college, homebuyer tax credits, business tax incentives, and federal construction projects. These are just a few examples of what Congresswoman Norton accomplished to make the lives of the people of DC easier. Even though Congresswoman Norton has never had the vote on the House floor her strong voice, standing up for our rights, supporting our dignity, calling out the injustices of our second-class citizenship has been a defense against the enmity of those who do not respect the 700,000+ citizens of DC.
2025 Awardee: DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
2024 Awardee: Noah Wills
2023 Awardee: Anacostia Coordinating Council and its Executive Director, Phillip Pannell
2022 Awardee: Barbara Garlock and Virginia Hodge for their roles in the Quilts 4 DC Statehood
2021 Awardee: Restore the Vote Legislation Working Group (At-Large Councilmember Robert White, Dexter Williams, Britte Van Tiem, Debbie Polhemus, Mary Case and Susan Galbraith)
2020 Awardee: Parisa Norouzi, Executive Director of Empower DC
2019 Awardee: Anne Anderson