Join leading competitiveness experts as we celebrate The Honorable Deborah L. Wince-Smith! ARCS® Foundation Metro Washington Chapter (ARCS MWC) will hold its Eagle Award Celebration at the Army and Navy Club on May 1, 2026 (6:30-9:30 pm), in Washington, DC. ARCS MWC presents this prestigious award to highly distinguished leaders in science and engineering.
The Honorable Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness and an ARCS MWC member, is the 2026 Eagle Award recipient. The Council on Competitiveness is a non-partisan leadership coalition of CEOs, University Presidents, Labor Leaders, and National Laboratory Directors, all committed to developing policies and national initiatives to drive future productivity growth, security, and prosperity for all Americans. ARCS Foundation is an affiliate member of the Council.
Wince-Smith served over 20 years as a senior U.S. government official; was the first Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce; was the Assistant Director for International Affairs at the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and served as a Senate-confirmed member of the IRS Oversight Board. Wince-Smith is also Founder and President of the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils. ARCS MWC Co-Presidents Julie Hohl and Jane Riddle say, “As a renowned woman leader driving increased U.S. competitiveness, The Honorable Deborah Wince-Smith creates synergy that supports scientific and engineering research excellence and furthers our mission.”
Peter J. McDonnell, M.D., a 1981-82 ARCS MWC Scholar at Johns Hopkins University and the 2019 inductee into the ARCS Foundation Alumni Hall of Fame, will also deliver remarks. Dr. McDonnell is the Alan and Marlene Norton Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute and the William Holland Wilmer Professor of Ophthalmology. He acknowledges the great role that ARCS has had during his scientific career, saying “The encouragement that I received from ARCS, a group of women I didn’t know who simply wanted a young scientist to thrive while doing science, inspired me to continue in the joy of scientific discovery.”