March of Dimes Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Heroines of Washington Awards; Announces Finalists

ARLINGTON, Va. - June 24, 2025 - PRLog -- Today, March of Dimes (https://www.marchofdimes.org/) has announced the finalists for its annual Heroines of Washington Awards, which honor professional women in the D.C. metro area who give back to their community through extensive volunteer efforts.

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the Heroines award program which has recognized 166 Heroines and raised nearly $5.5 million to support the March of Dimes mission since its creation.

The 2025 Heroines of Washington finalists are:

Health & Biotech

• Aimee Liu, GuideHouse
• Gracelyn McDermott, Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States
• Nidhi Reva, Nested
• Ayana Martin, PhD, Viridian Therapeutics

Finance & Banking

• Andrea Connolly, M&T Bank
• Kristyn King, Amazon
• Sherlonda Goode-Jones, EY

Professional Services & Consulting

• Charlyn Stanberry, National Association of Broadcasters
• Sinafik Gebru, Lockton Companies
• Leslie Merriman, Skin Memory Spa
• Valery Maya, PWC

Real Estate & Construction

• Susan Sonley, Kent Commercial Inc.
• Kristin Niver, Robinson+Cole
• Nora Abramson, Tower Companies

Technology & Cyber Security

• Alisa Whyte, Merritt Group
• Jacqueline (Jackie) Malkes, SAS
• Patty Obermaier, Resigility
• Krysten Wicks, Amazon Robotics

Earlier this month, March of Dimes named its first-ever Legacy Heroine, Jennifer Felix. The Legacy Heroine is determined by their lasting impact. To date, Jennifer has raised over $650,000 to support the March of Dimes mission during her time as a member of the organization's DMV Board of Directors.

"It's been 25 years since the Heroines of Washington awards was started and, every year, it's an incredible honor to be able to highlight these incredible women, their accomplishments and the causes they support," said Diane Nguyen, co-chair for the 2025 Heroines of Washington Awards. "As we celebrate this milestone, we look forward to announcing the 2025 Heroines at our gala and can't wait to see what the next 25 years has in store!"

Presented by ASRC Federal, the March of Dimes Heroines of Washington Awards gala will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner and will celebrate all the finalists as well as announce this year's Heroine winners.

To learn more about the Heroines of Washington Awards gala, please visit: https://www.marchofdimes.org/events/Event.aspx?eventId=23008

About March of Dimes

March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies. We support research, lead programs and provide education and advocacy so that every family can have the best possible start. Building on a successful 85-year legacy, we support every pregnant person and every family. To learn more about March of Dimes, please visit marchofdimes.org.