(Washington, DC) – Tonight, Mayor Bowser honored eight community leaders at the Washington Women of Excellence Awards, an annual event hosted by the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives (MOWPI). At the event, Mayor Bowser proclaimed March “Women’s HERstory Month” in Washington, DC.

“This year’s honorees are powerhouses in their fields and trailblazers in their own right – paving the way for future generations of women and girls. Tonight, we are proud to kick off Women’s HERstory Month by celebrating all they have done for our community,” said Mayor Bowser.

Each year, MOWPI partners with the Executive Office of Mayor Bowser and the DC Commission for Women to identify key community stakeholders who have done outstanding work for women in the District. Since the beginning of Mayor Bowser’s first term in 2015, MOWPI has honored 28 women.

This year’s honorees are:

• Mikayla Sharrieff, India Skinner, and Bria Snell of S3 Trio, the only all-black female team in the history of NASA’s national high school competition

• Dorothy Butler Gilliam, the first African-American female reporter at the Washington Post

• Marcia Greenberger, Founder and Co-President Emerita of the National Women’s Law Center

• Aza Nedhari, Founder and Executive Director of Mamatoto Village

• Caroline Pugh, Chief of Staff of CareJourney.com and Entrepreneur Magazine’s “15 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch”

• Kristy Toliver, Point Guard of the Washington Mystics and the first active WNBA player to serve as an NBA assistant coach

All honorees were nominated by members of the DC Commission on Women, the Director of the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives, and Mayor Bowser’s senior staff. Final selections were made by Mayor Bowser.