Largo, MD - The Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) is excited to announce the award recipients of its Women's Excellence and Leadership Awards, honoring women who have made remarkable contributions in Prince George's County. Each of the honorees reflect this year's event theme, 'Yes! You Can Have It All.' The Awardees will be honored at the EDC's 1st Annual Women's Excellence & Leadership Luncheon (WELL) which will take place on Thursday, June 8, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. at the MGM National Harbor Hotel.
"Prince George's County is fortunate to have so many dynamic and tenacious women as business leaders in our community," said Jim Coleman, President and CEO of the EDC. "These honorees all care deeply about people, and are a major force in helping businesses, communities, and the people they serve reach their full potential. These are fantastic role models for all women."
The primary motivation for the Women's Excellence & Leadership Luncheon is to inspire everyday business women in Prince George's County and the surrounding region, many of whom are testaments of success in their own realms. The WELL awardees were selected based on their outstanding accomplishments, contributions and dedication to Prince George's County.
The 2017 Women's Excellence & Leadership Award Winners Are:
Excellence in Partnership - Angela Franco
Angela Franco served as the President & CEO of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce from 2009 to 2017. A true advocate of business-to-business networking and synergistic relationship building, Angela grew the Chamber's programs, trainings and matchmaking network resulting in the establishment and growth of hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses in Prince George's County and throughout the region. She has served as the EDC liaison to Hispanic businesses for several years and connected the it to Hispanic businesses for its Latin America trade missions.
Excellence in Leadership - Julie Lenzer
Julie Lenzer serves as Associate Vice President of Innovation and Economic Development and Co-Director of UM Ventures. Julie is charged with promoting and facilitating productive, university-wide collaboration to launch startup ventures based upon University intellectual property, as well as maximizing synergies the University of Maryland and other colleges and universities in the Region. Prior to this position, Julie was appointed to lead the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE) within the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Excellence in Education - Dr. Debra Mahone
Dr. Debra Mahone currently serves as the director of State and Federal programs in Prince George's County, Maryland. She is a highly skilled educational leader, experienced in school reform, program and leadership development, and curriculum and technology integration. Among many other accomplishments, Dr. Mahone was successful in implementing the largest one to one, iPad deployments in the nation in 2013. Dr. Mahone serves as a true example of a trailblazer in the field of Education.
Excellence in Community Service - Lisa Liu
Lisa Liu is the Founder and Manager of Long River Realty, an international real estate company with residential and commercial clients in the United States, China, Korea, India and Europe. In addition to this, Lisa Liu serves as the Asian Business Advisor to the Prince George's County EDC, and has aided Prince George's County by creating mutually beneficial partnerships with the County and the local, Asian business community.
Excellence in Entrepreneurship - Sara Bahethi
Ms. Saraswati (Sara) Bahethi currently serves as the Corporate Secretary and Treasurer of Science Systems and Applications Inc., (SSAI). As the co-founder and majority owner of SSAI, which was founded in 1977, she is responsible for short-term and long-term cash management in addition to the overall fiscal control of the company.
Please join the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation in applauding the accomplishments of these extraordinary women.
For more information about the Women's Excellence and Leadership Luncheon, please visit www.pgcedcexcellence.com. To register for this upcoming event, contact Nichelle Holmes at 301-583-4650 or naholmes@pgcedc.com or visit www.pgcedc.com/events.