Recognizing public officials who champion the work of nonprofits
The Phyllis Campbell Newsome Public Policy Leadership Award was named in honor of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s former director of advocacy and community relations after her untimely passing in 2003. The award was created to highlight the work of elected and non-elected officials who have gone above and beyond in partnership with the nonprofit sector to ensure more vibrant communities.
Each year, the Center honors four public officials with this award. One official is recognized from each of the jurisdictions the Center supports including, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Nominations for 2023 are now closed - stay tuned to see who wins!
For the 2023 award, please fill out this form to complete a nomination.
Each year, the call for Newsome Public Policy Leadership Award nominees opens in August. Members of the nonprofit sector are invited to nominate public officials who have shown great leadership on behalf of the nonprofits in our region, by completing a brief nomination form that includes up to 250 words about why the nominee deserves the award.
After the deadline, nominations are tallied and the winners of each jurisdiction are notified. They receive their award and recognition at the Center’s Annual Celebration.
Meet the winners of the past three years:
District of Columbia
- Brianne Nadeau, Councilmember, Council of the District of Columbia (2021)
- Laura Zeilinger, Director, DC Department of Human Services (2020)
- Robert White, City Council, At-Large (2019)
- Najla Husseini, Deputy Chief, School Partnerships, DC Public Schools (2018)
Montgomery County, Maryland
- Will Jawando, Councilmember, Montgomery County (2021)
- Lily Qi, Maryland State Delegate, District 15 (2020)
- Andrew Friedson, County Council, District 1 (2019)
- Isiah “Ike” Leggett, County Executive (2018)
Prince George's County, Maryland
- Angela Alsobrooks, County Executive, Prince George’s County (2021)
- Rodney Streeter, Prince George’s County Council Vice Chair, District 7 (2020)
- Calvin Hawkins, County Council, At-Large (2019)
- Derrick Leon Davis, County Council Member, District 6 (2018)
Virginia
- Onassis Burress, City Council Member, Radford City (2021)
- Justin Wilson, Mayor of Alexandria, VA (2020)
- Jennifer McClellan, State Senator, District 9 (2019)
- Helen McIlvaine, Director, Alexandria Office on Housing (2018)