LWVDC AWARDS

LWVDC invites members to submit nominations for LWVDC’s annual awards. At our Annual Meeting each year, we honor deserving individuals and groups – and we ask for your ideas. This year, our Annual Meeting is on May 17, 2025.  

Please submit your nominations for these awards to Abby Rives (secretary@lwvdc.org) by March 31, 2025. If you are able, please include: (1) name of award, (2) nominee’s name and contact information, and (3) brief statement of the rationale for the nomination (including nominee’s eligibility and qualifications).  The descriptions of the awards are below:

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.

2024 Awardee:  Lee Palmer

"Lee is an active and engaged LWVDC member who has demonstrated long-term dedication to the League’s mission and active support of its activities. She has seen to fruition a significant initiative. As First Vice President, Lee organized our Drop Box, then later Google Suite to preserve and make accessible the work of our League as well as give us organizational email addresses. She patiently answered questions from members and instructed them in using the new technology.  Following her term as First Vice President, Lee remained on the board as Technology point person and managed the gargantuan task of migrating our website and administrative functions to ClubExpress. She spent countless hours bringing this initiative to fruition and developing the robust website that we enjoy today. Lee has been available full-time to leaders and members of the League. She is always there when you need her and performs her service with enthusiasm and efficiency. In short, Lee has demonstrated distinguished service to the League and has brought to fruition a significant upgrade to its operation in the digital age. She is clearly eligible and qualified to receive the 2024 Sheila Willet Distinguished Service Award. This award is our way of saying thank you to Lee for her time, energy, dedication, creative problem-solving, diligence, and care for our members that has allowed the League to continue its mission in a time of change."

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. (League members may be considered for this Award.)

2024 Awardee:  Noah Wills

"Noah Wills has been working to seek support for DC statehood from states and territories and from elected individuals for about ten years.  He is now a member of LWVDC and has worked with us for four or five years.  He has sought the support of states and territories for the DC Statehood Compact. As of now, thirty-eight states and territories have signed on, as reported at www.dcstatehoodcompact.org.  He also obtained the signatures of at least 1,225 individual candidates for elective office and elected officials on the DC Statehood Pledge, as reported at www.dcstatehoodpledge.org. Noah’s passion for the DC statehood cause and his diligence and presence in struggle to gain voting rights for DC residents makes him an eligible and worthy recipient of the 2024 Linda Beebe Award for Making Democracy Work."