Distinguished Leader Awards
The 2024 honorees are: Doug Mah, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Thurston County, and Dr. Angela Bowen (posthumously)!
The event recognizes leaders who demonstrate outstanding initiative, inspire others and make a significant impact in our community and beyond. Our honorees this year all exhibit unique, and impactful leadership styles that go beyond their organizations and shine through their community support and involvement. Honorees will be recognized through live and multi-media presentations.
The 22nd annual Distinguished Leaders Awards celebration took place on Wednesday, March 13th, at the Saint Martin's Norman Worthington Center.
Presenting Partner: TwinStar Credit Union
Media Partner: Umpqua Bank
Initiative Partners: Evergreen State College, Intercity Transit, & Kiley Juergens Wealth Management, LLC
Community Partners: City of Olympia, Dickson Frohlich Phillips Burgess, Fairchild Record Search, & Hands On Children's Museum
Past Honorees
Click the accordion below to see a list of our past Distinguished Leader Award honorees!
| 2002 | Ken F. Parsons, Sr. The Rants Group |
| 2003 | Joe Williams City of Lacey |
| 2004 | Kristen West & Sherri McDonald Denny Heck |
| 2005 | Dr. David Spangler Jan Putnam |
| 2006 | Jeff Rounce Community Youth Services |
| 2007 | Cathy Wolfe Bruce Reeves Washington Women's Foundation |
| 2008 | Jack Kiley Tri M. Vo PATH |
| 2009 | Jeff Kingsbury Capitol Land Trust Judge Richard A. Strophy |
| 2010 | Capitol City Press Mud Bay, Inc. Steve Boone |
| 2011 | Chairman David Burnett: Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation Grays Harbor Paper New Market Skills Center |
| 2012 | Michael Cade Rotary Club of Olympia |
| 2013 | Patty Belmonte Virgil Clarkson Gerald Pumphrey |
| 2014 | Brian Vance Raj Manhas Senator Karen Fraser |
| 2015 | Dr. Roy Heynderickx Brian Fluetsch Eileen McKenzieSullivan |
| 2016 | Tanya Jernigan Dan O'Neill Robert Coit |
| 2017 | John Setterstrom Lori Drummond Steve Brooks |
| 2018 | Taylor Shellfish Farms Abbott Neal Roth, O.S.B. Olowo-n'djo Tchala met Prairie Rose Hyde |
| 2019 | Cheryl Fambles Drew Phillips Meghan Sullivan & Meagan Darrow |
| 2020 | John Doan, City of Tumwater SCJ Alliance Retired Supreme Court Justice Gerry Alexander |
| 2021 | Community Leadership Awards |
| 2022 | Dr. A Barbara Clarkson Dancing Goats Coffee Former Secretary of State Ralph Munro |
| 2023 | Kelly Wilson Nisqually Indian Tribe Dr. Timothy Stokes |
Past honorees video links gallery
Watch past honorees over the years below! Click on an honoree to view their video.