Past Chairwomen

2010 Chairwoman

Sarah Guinan Nixon
When you grow up in a homeless shelter and there are 50 people for dinner and the only phone in your house takes quarters, it's going to shape your world view. When your after dinner activity is helping your parents prep breakfast for 700 of the hungry homeless you would be excused for feeling you had already made your contribution. The place was the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV) founded by her father, Ed Guinan in 1970. Over the course of the next two decades Sarah would help her social activist parents Kathleen and Ed as they opened one community center after another including Zacchaeus Soup Kitchen, Rachel's Women's Center, and Crossway Community. Fortunately, Sarah's early full immersion in community service did not dissuade but engendered a lifelong commitment to the under-resourced.

Sarah has worked extensively in the entertainment industry, with a focus on music, film and event production. Her dedication and devotion to serving others and having FUN while doing it, is evident in the success of everything she touches - from an award winning documentary to the Manifest Hope Gallery. Today Sarah regularly calls upon her experience, talents and courageous determination to get the job done — and still she has time for her family and friends. She is engaged in the hands-on management of three family-owned historic properties in Menemsha, Martha's Vineyard.

Sarah volunteers on behalf of children, youth and families through her efforts with The Earth Conservation Corps, The Washington Ballet, YMCA of Martha's Vineyard, Wings Over America, The Pearl Coalition and American Heroes Saltwater Challenge. With a smile, ready sense of humor and a big heart, Sarah is always there to lend a helping hand. She is committed to service and to making her community and the world at large a better place.

But...Sarah gets the MOST JOY from the daily reality show she is producing with her husband Bob, it stars her three amazing children, Bobby 14, Mary Agnes 12, and Jack 9.

2009 Chairwoman

Gina F. Adams
Gina F. Adams is Senior Vice President for Government Affairs at FedEx Corporation. Ms. Adams is responsible for articulating and promoting the interests of all FedEx Corporation operating companies, including FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Services in Washington, D.C. FedEx serves more than 220 countries and territories with operations that include 672 aircraft and over 75,000 vehicles. More than 290,000 employees and contractors worldwide handle more than 7.5 million shipments each business day.

As a lawyer and the company's top lobbyist, Ms. Adams oversees the second largest corporate PAC in the United States and is the face of FedEx in Washington. She works with the White House, Administration officials, members of Congress, policy makers, the diplomatic community and industry associations on domestic and international transportation and trade issues.

Ms. Adams is extremely active in the Washington, D.C. community. She sits on a number of boards including the American University, the Town Hall Education Arts & Recreational Campus (THEARC), the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Beauvoir School (National Cathedral's Elementary School), the Washington Performing Arts Society and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. She has supported or underwritten countless projects and events that target the arts and community service organizations; she has also helped with numerous fundraisers in the Washington DC area that encourage support for activities that focus on youth, health and education issues.

Ms. Adams has been honored by Girls Inc., a 140-year old philanthropic organization, for her commitment to promoting education and opportunities for young women of all socio-economic backgrounds. She has received honors from the Black Women's Agenda and the Jack and Jill Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting education, literary and scientific projects benefiting minority children. Most recently, Ms. Adams received the DC Chamber's 2008 "Choice Award" and received a "2008 Women Who Mean Business" award from the Washington Business Journal. She was named by The Network Journal as one of its "2008 25 influential black Women in Business" and by The Minority Enterprise Executive Council as one of the "Top 25 Minority Women in Business" for 2008.

Ms. Adams joined the company in 1992 as Managing Attorney of the International Regulatory Affairs Office. She's held a number of positions since that time, including Staff Director and Staff Vice President for International Regulatory Affairs. She was promoted to her current position in 2001. Ms. Adams is a two time recipient of the FedEx Five Star Award which is the highest employee achievement award at FedEx. She began her career as a lawyer in the Attorney Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Transportation and spent nine years in the Office of the General Counsel.

She received a Master in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law Center, her law degree from Howard University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from American University. She currently serves as President of the Capital City Chapter of the Links, Inc.

Ms. Adams and her husband, Eugene, have a son named Spenser.

2007 Chairwoman

Debra L. Lee
Debra Lee is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BET Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), and the pre-eminent entertainment brand serving African Americans and consumers of Black culture – on a global basis.

As the head of one of the world's most influential media and entertainment companies, she oversees diversified operations and an array of assets including linear and non-linear cable television, internet, mobile, and a music festival/events business. She is leading the company in current growth initiatives including continued expansion into filmed entertainment, a home entertainment business, and international distribution of the brand.

Prior to her being named CEO, Ms. Lee was President and COO for almost 10 years where she guided the company to consistent increases in viewership, revenue and earnings. She first joined BET as vice president and general counsel in 1986 after serving over five years as an attorney with Washington, DC-based Steptoe & Johnson, a corporate law firm. Prior to that, she served as a law clerk to the late Honorable Barrington Parker of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Her achievements in a 20+ year career at BET Networks have earned her numerous accolades from across the cable industry, as well as recognition as one of this country's most respected business executives. She serves on the corporate board of directors of Revlon, Marriott, Eastman Kodak, and Washington Gas & Light. Her business acumen and strategic approach to management make Ms. Lee a popular speaker and lecturer on a range of business topics.

Affiliated with a number of professional, civic, and cultural organizations, Ms. Lee is also a member of the national board of directors for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA), Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, Girls Inc., National Symphony Orchestra, Center for Communication, and the Kennedy Center's Community & Friends Board. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees for Brown University and also serves on the boards of the Museum of Television and Radio and the Grammy Foundation.

Ms. Lee earned her juris doctorate at Harvard Law School, while simultaneously earning a masters degree in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government. She graduated from Brown University with a bachelors degree in political science with an emphasis in Asian politics.

Ms. Lee resides in Washington, DC with her two children.

2006 Chairwoman

Holly D. Muldoon
Holly Muldoon is the Chief Executive Officer of Glocal Forum, US, a non-profit organization and World Bank affiliate program headquartered in Rome, Italy. The Glocal Forum brings together the world's large city mayors, public institutions and private sector leaders in what is referred to as the "new diplomacy of cities". Holly's role as CEO is to advance the program's agenda and further membership of US mayors and participation and support of US businesses. She is also responsible for all legal, fiscal and staff management of the program.

Before joining the Glocal Forum, Holly has been advancing her career in the non-profit and institutional sector. She was the Executive Director of the Congressional Award, and prior to that was the International Program Director of the World Alliance. She spent six years in Europe first working as an interpreter for the United Nations and then moving into the NGO departments of the UN where she was a program director for UNICEF. Holly was educated in Europe and holds a degree from the University of Hamburg, Germany and a graduate degree in German Literature and Translation from the University of Vienna, Austria.

Washington, DC has been Holly's home for the past twenty years, where she has been actively involved with local charities and political fundraising. In 2006, she chaired Knock Out Abuse, raising over $550,000. She presently serves on committees for The National Ballet, Best Friends and the Piedmont Environmental Council. Holly's political fundraising has been primarily focused on the MD gubernatorial election and the 2008 presidential campaign. Holly resides in Potomac, MD with her husband, Hale Boggs and her 14 year old son, Michael.

2005 Chairwoman

Ann Walker Marchant
is the founder and CEO of WMG. She has over 20 years of agency, government and nonprofit public relations experience and has worked at some of the largest public relations firms as well as the White House. Ann founded WMG to provide clients with senior-level strategic counsel.

Ann leads a team of talented counselors who deliver senior-level strategic communications counsel to premier national corporate brands. She has provided corporate communications and crisis management counsel for Fortune 500 companies across a broad spectrum of issues. Ann also specializes in strategic partnership development to address issues impacting target audiences. She is recognized for her ability to craft and execute communications plans that increase awareness, raise executive visibility in strategic areas, and protect and insulate brand equity with stakeholders.

Ann is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. She serves as a director on the boards of the Washington Ballet, The Decatur House National Historic Trust and Preservation, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington and the Greater Washington Urban League, and was the 2005 chair of Knock Out Abuse Against Women.

2004 Chairwoman

Holidae Hayes
Holidae Hayes is a Senior Vice President, Wealth Advisor and Investment Consultant with Morgan Stanley. Holidae graduated from college and law school at the University of Kentucky. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Holidae worked at the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. She lives in Washington, D.C. and Palm Beach, Florida and is involved in numerous community and charitable efforts.

2003 Chairwoman

Norma C. Ramsey
is the Director of The Ramsey Foundation, a private charitable foundation dedicated to children, education and healthcare. Ms. Ramsey is involved with many charitable causes including Venture Philanthropy Partners, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the National Capital Region, the Boys and Girls Clubs, the Make A Wish Foundation, Fight for Children, School Night and Knock Out Abuse Against Women.

In 2004, Ms. Ramsey was awarded the Larry King "Spirit of Life Award." This award honors an individual for extraordinary and lasting

Ms. Ramsey serves as a trustee of the Inova Health System Foundation Board, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic, The Potomac School in McLean, Virginia, and The Larry King Cardiac Foundation.

A Maryland native, Ms. Ramsey attended the University of Maryland. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and Phi Kappa Phi. Ms. Ramsey's professional career was focused in the design and construction of custom homes.

She and her husband Russ live in Great Falls, Virginia. They have four children: Bailey (16), Eric (14) Mark (11) and Paige Alexandra(1). She enjoys tennis, biking, running, oil painting and professional sports.