Through the years, WPCNJ has recognized the accomplishments of both men and women who have worked with the organization.  

Below is a list of awards and past honorees.

 

The Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award

Presented to a woman who has had a successful career, is a leader who has promoted policies in support of women and families, and has made progressive and effective efforts to advance the careers of and to create opportunities for other women.

In 1983, Barbara Boggs Sigmund was elected the first female Mayor of Princeton during her service as Mercer County Freeholder  She was an example that women need to take risks even if they do not succeed.   Her living example was running  as a candidate in the US. Senate Primary in 1982. (She placed fourth out of nine candidates.)

Those who were privileged to know this scion of one of America's most prominent political families knew a woman of humor, intelligence, grace and charisma who advocated and supported that women are integral to the political landscape and practiced her convictions.

 

Trailblazer Award

The Trailblazer Award is presented annually to a person in recognition of their outstanding efforts that break down barriers, "blazing a trail" for the next generation.

 

Good Guy Award(s)

Presented each year to a male from either the Democrat, Republican or Independent party, who have demonstrated leadership in advancing policies in support of women and families either in their businesses or in public policy.  The honorees have made exceptional efforts to advance the careers of and to create opportunities for women.

 

Mary Philbrook Award

Presented to a woman who is an attorney with a distinguished career during which she has removed barriers and created opportunities for other women in the interest of advancing equality in all spheres.

Mary Philbrook of Jersey City was the first woman attorney in New Jersey.  She used her legal training to advance women's rights, including a gender-free writing of the modern NJ Constitution which made discrimination on the basis of sex unconstitutional.  She was instrumental in the founding of what is now DouglassResidentialCollege at RutgersUniversity. A suffragist, she supported Alice Paul in the fight for the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S Constitution.

 

 Corporate Award

Presented to a business that has met the particular needs of its female employees and their families, has provided critical services to women, girls or families, or has made a meaningful effort to improve the gender diversity of its workforce.

 

Social Justice Award

Presented to an individual or organization that inspires, supports and expresses effective social action.  The award recognizes those who devote their time & energy to improve their community, especially for women and girls. 

 

President Award

The President Award is presented to a woman who has contributed extraordinary service to WPCNJ.  They have donated their time, talent and resources to not only strengthen the core mission of the organization but help pave the way for the next generation.

 

Past Honorees:

2023

2022

 

2021

 

 

2020

2019

Good Guy Award
Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson

Good Guy Award
Gil Medina

Corporate Award
AECOM

Social Justice Award
Reverend Deborah Stapleton

 

2018

Good Guy Award
Senator Troy Singleton

Good Guy Award
Murray E. Bevan

Corporate Award
Hackensack Meridian Health

Social Justice Award
1199 SEIU

 

2017

Mary Philbrook Award
Mary Patricia Keefe, Esq.

Good Guy Award
Vin Gopal
Good Guy Award
John Traier

Corporate Award
MZM Construction Company

Social Justice Award
New Jersey State Bar Association

 

2016

Barbara Boggs Sigmund 

 Tricia Mueller

Carol Murphy Award

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

Mary Philbrook Award
Rebecca Moll Freed, Esq.

Good Guy Award
John F.X. Graham
Good Guy Award
Jarrod C. Grasso

Corporate Award

MD Advantage Insurance Company

Social Justice Award
Lupe Fund Inc.

2015

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

 Peg Schaffer, Esq.

Carol Murphy Award

The Honorable Mary E. O'Dowd, M.P.H

Mary Philbrook Award
Paulette Brown, Esq.

Good Guy Award
The Honorable Cory Booker
U.S. Senator

Good Guy Award
William J. Palatucci, Esq.

Corporate Award

NJBIA New Jersey Business & Industry Association

President’s Award

Gilda M. Morales

2014

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Hon. Linda Greenstein, Senator

Carol Murphy

Gail Gordon, Esq.

Mary Philbrook Award

Sharon Levine, Esq.

Good Guys

Angelo J. Genova, Esq.

Tom Wilson

Corporate Award

Barnabas Health 

 

2012

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Hon. Nia Gill

Carol Murphy

Hon. Kim Guadagno

Mary Philbrook Award

Sue Feeney, Esq.

Good Guys

Hon. Joseph Cryan

Chris Daggett

Leaders for Social Justice

Associate Alumnae of Douglass College

Corporate Award

Saki Dodelson

 

2011

Women of Achievement

Sonia Delgado

Hon. Sophie Heymann

Good Guys

Hon. Ray Lesniak

Hon. Jon Bramnick

Mary Philbrook Award

Mary Hildebrand, Esq.

Leaders for Social Justice

Planned Parenthood Action Fund

 

2010

Women of Achievement

Amy Mansue

Karen Alexander

Good Guys

Hon. Robert Menendez

Hon. Dale Florio

Corporate Award

CooperHospital Foundation

Mary Philbrook Award

Hon. Sharon Weiner, Esq.

President’s Award
Elizabeth Cox

 

2009

Women of Achievement

Barbara Gitenstein, Ph.D

Hon. Eleanore S. Nissley

Good Guys Awards

Roger Bodman

Hon. Frank Pallone

Corporate Award

New Jersey Resources, Inc.

Mary Philbrook Award

Gloria E. Soto, Esq.

 

2008

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Senator Jennifer Beck
  Patti McGuire

Woman of Achievement

Kent Manahan

Good Guys

Ralph Izzo

Hon. Stephen Sweeney

Leaders for Social Justice

Girl Scouts of Central & Southern NJ, Inc

Mary Philbrook Award

Hon. Jennifer G. Velez, Esq.

 

2007

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Deborah T. Pritz, Former Chief Justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court.
   Maggie Moran, Former State Director to U.S. Senator Jon S. Corzine

Women of Achievement

Hon. Mildred Crump

Eileen Swan

Good Guys

Al Koeppe

Tom Shea

Hon. Rolando Torres, Jr

Leaders for Social Justice

GardenState Equality & Manavi

Mary Philbrook Award

Lynn Fontaine Newsome, Esq. 

 

2006

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

 Jeannine LaRue, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor
  Rose Heck, former Assemblywoman

Good Guys

Hon. Jon Corzine, NJ Governor

Hon. Christopher Bateman, NJ Assembly

Hon. Robert Franks, President, Health Care Institute of New Jersey

Dr. Chung S. Yang, Spouse Award

Mary Philbrook Award

Carmen Twillie Ambar

 

2005

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor 
  Diane Legreide

Good Guys

Dennis Bone, President and CEO Verizon-Corporate Award

Hon. Wilfredo Caraballo, NJ Assembly

Hon. Thomas H. Kean, Jr, NJ State Senate

Laurence M. Downes, Chairman and CEO, New Jersey Resources

Marc Morales, Spouse Award

Mary Philbrook Award

Chris Bator

 

2004

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg
  Nancy Becker

Good Guys

Hon. Joseph F. Vitale, NJ State Senate

Lewis Eisenberg, Finance Chairman, RNC

Dr. William H. Cherry, Spouse Award

Philip Kirschner, President, NJBIA

Mary Philbrook Award

Rita Stremnsky

 

2003

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Diane Allen, NJ State Senator
   Bonnie Watson Coleman, NJ Assemblywoman, State Chair Democratic Party

Good Guys

Hon. Rush Holt Representative, U.S. Congress (D.,12)

Hon. Joseph M. Kyrillos, Jr. NJ State Senate (R.,13

John T. Flynn, Spouse Award

Wachovia, Corporate Award

 

2002

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Carol Murphy, former Assemblywoman
  Melanie Willoughby, President, NJ Retail Merchants Assoc

Good Guys

Governor James E. McGreevey for promoting women in government

Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen for promoting women in government

Rabbi Stuart Weinberg Gershon for promoting women's rights

Professor Edwin M. Hartman, Spouse Award, for support of Prof. Mary Hartman

Harvey A. Holzberg, President and CEO Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for for organizational commitment to women's healthcare initiatives

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Corporate Award

 

2001

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Hon. Marie Garibaldi, former NJ Supreme Court Justice
  Kathleen Crotty, Executive Director of NJ Senate Minority Office

Good Guys

Frank Lautenberg, U.S. Senator

Captain Gary Adams, Morris Twp. Domestic Violence Response Team

Jim McQueeny, Spouse Award, for support of Mary Amoroso

Wayne Yankus, MD, FAAP

 

2000

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Jeanne M. Fox, Administrator, Region II, USEPA; past president WPC-NJ
  Elinor Johnstone Ferdon, immediate past president Girl Scouts, USA

Good Guys

The late Ashely Montagu for his book, The Natural Superiority of Women

Ronald DelMauro, CEO of St. Barnabas Health Care System

Leonard Murphy, Spouse Award, for support of Assemblywoman Carol Murphy

David Newell, Sr., Vice President for Public Affairs, First Union Bank

Thomas O'Neill, Ex. Dir., Partnership for New Jersey

 

1999

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Zulima Farber, former Public Advocate for State of NJ; attorney
  Joan Verplanck, President NJ Chamber of Commerce

Good Guys

Governor Brendan Byrne

Governor Tom Kean

 Marvin Reed, Mayor of Princeton

American Home Products for family-friendly workplace

Milton Kaplan, Spouse Award, for support of Myra Terry

Len Fishman, Health Commissioner

Summit Bank, Corporate Award

 

1998

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Cynthia Jacobs, Esq., former President of NJ State Bar Association
  Judy Shaw, first woman Chief of State to a NJ Governor

Good Guys

Gary Brickner, M.D. for promoting women's health care

Dr. Arnold Derman, Spouse Award, for support of Harriet Derman

New Jersey Network, Corporate Award

Rocky Peterson, Esq

Princeton Public Affairs Group, Corporate Award

Steven Samuel, M.D. for research in women's heart disease

 

1997

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Susan Bass Levin, Mayor of Cherry Hill, NJ
  Candace Straight, Founder of WISH List; Vice Chair, NJ Sports Authority

Good Guys

Alan Augustine, State Assemblyman

Richard Codey, State Senator

Ralph Froehlich, Sheriff of UnionCounty

BlaineGreenfield

 Jeffrey Lucker, Spouse Award, in support of Ruth Mandel

NewarkAcademy

 Thirteen/WNET, Corporate Award

Raymond R. Trombadore, Esq.

 

1996

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Marge Roukema, US Congresswoman; Dean, NJ Congressional Delegation

Good Guys

Bill Bradley, U.S. Senator

Rev. Jeffrey Craig Eaton

Leonard Lance, State Assemblyman

Gualberto Medina, Commissioner, Department of Commerce

W. Michael Murphy

Gregory L. Myer, Spouse Award, in support of Jane Kenny

Warner-Lambert Co., Corporate Award

 

1995

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

 Wynona Lipman, NJ State Senator

Good Guys

Byron M. Baer

Michael Breslin

Neil M. Cohen

George Geist

Jeffrey A. Warsh

Sanford Jaffe

Dr. Joseph E. Salvatore

Geoffrey Irvine - Spouse Award, in support of Barbara Irvine

 

1994

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Hazel Gluck, former NJ Lottery Commissioner; former Freeholder

Good Guys

Richard Bagger

W. Michael Bryant

Cardell Cooper

William Granville, Jr

William J. Hughes

Gordon A. MacInnes

James F. Mulvihill

Jack Pesda

Ramon Rivera

John Whitman - Spouse Award

The Record - Corporate Award

 

1993

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

Ruth Mandel, Director of the Center for the American Woman and Politics

 

1992

Barbara Boggs Sigmund

 Barbara Boggs Sigmund, posthumously