Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Nu Xi Zeta Chapter : Women of the Year

Women of the Year

2012 Woman of the Year - Martina (Tina) Hone

Founder of "The Coalition of The Silence" and Omnivox Strategies
Martina Hone is a former at large member of the Fairfax county school board, where she served for the past four years as the only African American member. In January 2012, in response to the challenges she saw as a school board member, Tina launched "The Coalition of The Silence" which is an effort to bring together voices speaking on behalf of those communities whose children are underrepresented at the highest level of academic achievement in Fairfax County public schools yet overrepresented in the school system's disciplinary processes. Tina is also the founder of Omnivox Strategies, a public affairs consulting firm that focuses on outreach to under served communities. She began her career on Capitol Hill serving as Judiciary Committee aide to Congressman Mel Watt and as Counsel to the Immigration Subcommittee in the US House of Representatives. She later served as an Associate Under Secretary in the US Department of Commerce, overseeing external affairs for Census 2000, especially outreach to traditionally undercounted communities. She has served as Vice President for Public Policy at several leading non-profits and foundations, including running the Washington office for Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Tina received her BA in Political Science from the University of Chicago and her JD from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was an Associate Editor of the California Law Review.

2011 Woman of the Year - Angela Ciccolo

Chief Legal Officer, Special Olympics
Ms. Ciccolo is responsible for the full range of legal functions handled by the Legal Department and by outside counsel, including contracts, employment law, trademarks, entertainment law, corporate law issues, compliance with U.S. and international legal requirements, exempt organization tax law, sponsorship and fundraising matters, litigation, biannual accreditation of every Special Olympics Program, risk management, and registration of Special Olympics offices around the world. The CLO also has a special role to protect the mission of Special Olympics through oversight and maintenance of compliance with the Special Olympics General Rules, which are the principal governing policies of the Special Olympics movement. (more)

2010 Woman of the Year - Lavern Chatman

President & CEO, Northern Virginia Urban League
Ms. Chatman has been involved with philanthropic efforts to benefit youth, education, healthcare, and arts in the Washington, D.C. region for over fifteen years. She has served on the Board of Directors for Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington, D.C.; The Campagna Center, Alexandria, VA; Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, INOVA Alexandria Hospital, Northern Virginia Community Foundation, WETA Public Broadcasting and Chair’s the Diversity Council for AARP Virginia. (more)

2009 Woman of the Year - Charniele Herring

Virginia Delegate, 46th District
Delegate Charniele Herring is currently serving her second term as the representative of the 46th District. During the 2009 session, Delegate Herring advocated for rental assistance for Virginia’s neediest families, small businesses, and the environment. She serves on the Courts of Justice Committee and the Science and Technology Committee. (more)

2008 Woman of the Year - Maima Karmo

Founder, Tigerlilly Foundation
Maimah Karmo is the Founder of Tigerlily Foundation and a five year survivor of breast cancer, who recently received the Congressional Black Caucus Leadershipin Advocacy Award for her work with young womenand breast cancer. In 2009, she spoke on Capitol Hill, alongside Representative Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, now Democratic National Committee Chair, to introduce the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young (EARLY) Act; and in October 2010, Maimah was appointed to the Federal Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women, a committee established by the Affordable Care Act, on which she will work to develop initiatives to increase knowledge of breast health and breast cancer, particularly among women under the age of 40 and those at heightened risk for developing the disease. (more)

2006 Woman of the Year - Dr. Shireen K. Lewis

Executive Director of EduSeed and Founder of SisterMentors
Dr. Shireen Lewis is the Executive Director of EduSeed and Founder of EduSeed's SisterMentors program. She has devoted over 20 years to mentoring and coaching women and girls. Dr. Lewis has received many awards for her work, including a 2009 Women Making a Powerful Difference Award from Ebony magazine and Pine Sol, the Honorable Annice M. Wagner Pioneer Award from the Bar Association of the District of Columbia, and the Youth Community Service Award from the Alexandria Commission on Women. Dr. Lewis was honored as a Distinguished Alumnae by Douglass College, Rutgers University and inducted into the Douglass Society, the highest honor Douglass gives to its most distinguished alumnae. In honoring her, the Dean of Douglass College and Board of Directors of the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College identified Dr. Lewis as a role model for future generations of women. Dr. Lewis has also received an award from the National Association of Women Lawyers for her work on behalf of women law students. (more)