WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle Honored with Leadership Legacy Award

WGC Chair Barb Van Winkle

Leadership Howard County, which seeks to empower leaders to strengthen and transform the community, graduated the Leadership Premier 2022 class and recognized community leaders and alumni for their service to Howard County at the organization’s annual awards and graduation. The event took place on Tuesday, June 14, at 5:30 p.m. at Ten Oaks Ballroom at 5000 Signal Bell Lane in Clarksville.

Leadership Howard County presented awards to:

• Bita Dayhoff, who received the Distinguished Alumni Award, which recognizes a Leadership Howard County graduate who has worked to better the community. Dayhoff is president of the Community Action Council of Howard County. Under her leadership, the total number of individuals the organization serves has increased from 3,000 to 53,000 per year. The Community Action Council’s service touchpoints have expanded by 2,700%, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dayhoff maximized the delivery of services to meet a 40% increase in need and the highest demand for housing assistance in the organization’s history. Dayhoff graduated from Leadership Howard County Premier in 1999.
• Vivian Lawyer, who received the Unsung Hero Award, which recognizes a Leadership Howard County graduate whose efforts have gone unrecognized. Now retired, Lawyer has an extensive background in human resources and personnel management and recently assisted the Howard Community College search committee in selecting its new president. She chairs the Howard Community College Education Foundation and serves on local boards. She was appointed to the Howard County Personnel Board by the Howard County executive and was recently elected chair of the organization. Lawyer graduated from Leadership Howard County Premier in 1992.

• Barb Van Winkle, who received a Leadership Legacy Award, which celebrates community members whose sustained service has helped Howard County. Van Winkle has served on local boards and chairs the Women’s Giving Circle board where she has been a member since 2002. She has served on the board of the Howard Community College Education Foundation, including two terms as chair, since 1998. She played a critical role in raising funds for the community college’s Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center and established the Van Winkle Family Endowment and the Van Winkle Scholarship to benefit underserved students.

Leadership Howard County provides innovative programs designed to empower and connect community leaders and keep them engaged in the critical issues facing Howard County and the region. Drawn from private businesses, nonprofits and the public sector, Leadership Howard County participants share a common interest in learning more about their community and a commitment to making a positive impact. (www.leadershiphc.org)

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