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The reception was held on October 17, 2024, and convened over 300 of the top business, philanthropic, and political leaders in the Washington metropolitan area to celebrate and honor remarkable trailblazers with our Visionary Award and recognize their exceptional work equipping women and girls on their paths to success.
Angela Franco
Angela Franco is President and CEO of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining MCCC, Franco was President & CEO of the DC Chamber of Commerce from 2020 to 2024. Franco joined the DC Chamber of Commerce during civic unrest and a global pandemic and continued to move the organization forward. By working with its executive team and board of directors, Franco created programs and services that positioned the Chamber as a valuable resource and leading advocate for businesses throughout DC.
Deryl McKissack
Deryl McKissack is the Founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of McKissack & McKissack (McKissack), a national architecture, engineering, program, and construction-management firm currently managing over $15 billion in projects nationwide. Under Deryl’s leadership, McKissack has worked for public and private clients in the civic, culture, energy, education, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, housing, infrastructure, housing, mixed-use, and office sectors and has grown to over 150 employees with offices in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and DC.
Lesli Foster is an award-winning journalist and mainstay of Washington news as a weeknight anchor for WUSA9 evening broadcasts Monday through Friday. She is also part of WUSA9’s Special Assignment Unit, leading our “Impact” coverage that aims to tackle community issues. Lesli joined the station in 2001 and has covered the major events of our times across the area.
Known for her warmth and ability to share impactful stories that have an effect on our wider community, she thrives on work that touches everyday living. While her work has allowed her to interview many local, national, and international luminaries, she most enjoys talking with ordinary people who use their lives to do extraordinary things.
Changemaker Sponsors
Stand With Her Sponsors
Enterprise Mobility Foundation
Empow(H)er Sponsors
Rock Star Sponsors
Donna Callejon
Joyce Brayboy
Teresa Payne-Nunn
Silver Sponsors
Maya Ajmera
Loribeth Weinstein
Margaret Stone
Rachel Kronowitz
Tim Abercrombie
V. Alfred & Bessley Gray
Friend Sponsors
Washington Area Women’s Foundation mobilizes our community to ensure that economically vulnerable women and girls of color in the Washington, D.C. region have the resources they need to thrive. Since 1998, The Women’s Foundation has worked to transform the lives of women and girls in our region and across the world.
© 2023 Washington Area Women’s Foundation
© 2024 Washington Area Women’s Foundation
