Arlington Announces 'Women of Vision' Honorees

Arlington will honor three extraordinary women on Thursday, June 11, 2015, when the County Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) hosts the 2015 Arlington County Women of Vision awards. Each year, the commission honors women from the fields of government, business and the nonprofit world who have shown extraordinary leadership and commitment to our community.

“We hold the Women of Vision Awards each year to celebrate the contributions of our friends, neighbors, and colleagues who work to make Arlington an even better place to live, especially for women and girls,’ said CSW Chair Caroline Romano, in a news release Thursday. “We feel it is vital to recognize and say ‘thank you’ to those individuals who have made significant achievements in our community each year. This year’s winners were selected because each has a level of passion and commitment that goes above-and-beyond the ‘job description’ of their volunteer role and works tirelessly to make a lasting impact on the Arlington community. ”

The 2015 Women of Vision

GOVERNMENT: Honorable Karen Darner, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, has been a distinguished community leader and advocate for women and families throughout the Commonwealth for more than three decades. Darner, who served in the House of Delegates from 1991-2004, was one of very few women in the House at the time. She was the chief patron of bills to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. She was appointed by Governor Mark Warner to chair the Virginia Council on the Status of Women. She served on Arlington’s Commission on the Status of Women and the Planning Commission. She was the first co-coordinator of Arlington’s Rape Victim Companion Program and has held leadership positions with the Arlington League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women’s Arlington brand.

BUSINESS: Mary-Claire Burick, president of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, is a well-respected businesswoman and community leader. Burick’s philanthropic efforts include committee involvement, pro-bono work and board service, resulting in improvements in efficiency, engagement of key stakeholders and improved effectiveness in communicating mission and vision. Burick rose from an entry-level job in television operations to join the team that launched the Fox News Channel in 1998, where she became Operations Manager of the Washington Bureau. In 2009, she launched MC Strategy, LLC, a management consulting firm. She was appointed President of the Rosslyn Business Improvement District in 2013.

NONPROFIT: Sarah Summerville is an attorney specializing in the areas of employment, labor and civil rights law. She currently is the Asst. Dir. Of the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. A prominent community activist, Summerville founded, and still leads, the African American Leadership Council of Arlington in 1977. The organization provides a forum for information sharing among Arlington’s African American community. She also served on the board of the Bonder and Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation that partnered with Macedonia Baptist Church to build 36 units of dedicated affordable housing in one of the County’s first public/private/non-profit cooperative ventures.

The public is invited to join the commission at 7 p.m., Thursday, June 11 at the award ceremony, at Arlington Economic Development, 1100 North Glebe Road, Suite 1500. Tickects are not required, but a $26 donation per person is requested and sponsorship packages are available to support the work of the Commission on the Status of Women. RSVP to Anna Maynard.

For more information on the Commission on the Status of Women, and Women of Vision sponsorship, visit the County website, or contact Anna Maynard, CSW staff liaison, at 703.228.7096 or by email at amaynard@arlingtonva.us.