MANDY GOETZE 21st CENTURY AWARD

Marian E. Goetze (or Mandy to all those that know her) was a part of the creation of TIAW from the beginning, planning sessions in 1979 through her association with the Baltimore Executive Women's Network. She was a founding board member when the organization was first created and named the "National Association of Professional & Executive Women’s Networks” in 1980. Mandy has been here throughout our evolution to where we are today as TIAW. She has been leading and guiding us ever onwards through her passion and her tireless efforts.

From 1984-85 when she coordinated the TIA Washington Briefing/Meetings to 1986 when she became the Executive Vice President of TIA, Mandy has been an inspiration and TIAW’s sage advisor. Some of the highlights of her term include coordination of ten White House briefings for The International Alliance, from 1984-1993, as well as four European meetings. As someone who represents the heart and soul of this organization it was only fitting that there be an award in her honor: the Mandy Goetze 21st Century Award; an award that is bestowed annually to a TIAW member who has made an outstanding contribution to TIAW, which may be a long-standing effort or an exceptional achievement in a specific area.

 

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2012 Recipient: Evelyn Brown

Evelyn Brown has dedicated her life to serving others, both domestically and overseas, and she has a passion for helping others. She has long been involved in public service, with a career in government that spanned more than 40 years. Evelyn got her firsttaste of working in the international arena while working as Director of Accounting at the International Trade Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. As such, her responsibilities included financial management of both domestic and overseas operations that supported 75 domestic and 126 overseas offices co-located with the U.S. Department of State, in support of U.S. trade and related activities.

One of her first encounters with the less than optimum conditions often experienced by women was during a trip to Namibia and South Africa she took with her sister. Evelyn recalls a group of small school children brought into their hotel to dance for the guests, for donations. Their knees and legs were scarred from practicing on concrete; their little skirts were poorly hand stitched; their shoes were twisted over. But the most memorable part of their performance was the pride and determination on their faces, resulting from their desire to perfect their performance and to change the course of their lives. She clearly remembers the pride and gratitude on the faces of the children when given a donation to help them continue their performances. When Evelyn returned home, she asked her sister about her involvement in The International Alliance for Women (TIAW). Her sister explained the mission and vision of the organization, its programs, and its activities and she told her sister that she wanted to help.

Thus began Evelyn’s affiliation with TIAW. Since joining the TIAW Board, she has participated in discussions and planning for the TIAW programs and worked to raise funds for the organization, from selling TIAW micro pins and empowerment pins to actively spreading the word about the good works of the organization to soliciting donations from others, as well as personally donating funds. Evelyn attended her first TIAW international conference in Bulgaria in 2005 and has continued to attend subsequent TIAW conferences in Jacksonville, FL, Atlanta, GA, Palms Springs, CA, Toronto, Canada, and Washington, D.C. It was at the conference in Jacksonville, Florida celebrating the 25th anniversary of TIAW that Evelyn was asked by Donna Heivilin, past president of TIAW, if she would consider becoming the treasurer for two years. That two-year commitment as treasurer has lasted six years. During that time Evelyn has always generously provided her expertise and advice to three TIAW presidents along with the staff at TIAW headquarters

When Evelyn learned of the TIAW Microenterprise Development Program, it immediately captured her heart. She reviewed the reports/videos of the women and their families and saw the difference that the small micro loans made in their lives. Evelyn, her sister, and a friend co-sponsored a village bank in Uganda, and she has continued to contribute time and resources over the years in support of TIAW and its programs.

Evelyn has found the donor trips associated with the micro-enterprise program a unique experience. Evelyn has traveled to Ghana with Virginia Robinson where they met with the TIAW Micro Finance Institution partner there and saw firsthand the women in action repaying their loans and depositing funds into their savings accounts. She visited one of TIAW’s village banks in Mexico and recently traveled to Haiti with the Micro Program Chief Financial Officer to meet with a micro finance partner with whom TIAW will be working to help the women of Haiti, a first for TIAW presence in the Caribbean.

Evelyn is the current national president of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA), an association that supports the careers and professional development of government finance professionals working in federal, state and local governments as well as the private sector and academia and in the international arena. She is a past national treasurer of AGA, past AGA Chapter President of the Washington DC Chapter and ended her second term in 2011as an AGA Regional Coordinator for Chapter Development and Assistance for the Capital Region, helping to develop and mentor newly formed and ailing chapters needing assistance. She has served on the National Executive Committee and numerous other committees in AGA. Evelyn continues to serves as a mentor for the Capital Region in the organization to help develop future leaders that will help support and continue the legacy of an organization founded in 1950 and still thrives today.

Her community service activities include a 14-year stint with the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. She also served as an instructor and counselor for the Department of Commerce’s Small Business Development Program assisting minority businesses in the DC area. She has been a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans, Atlanta, and San Diego and is currently active in the mentoring and Early Careers Program for the Capital Region.

Evelyn continues to be active in Executive Women in Government (EWG), a TIAW member network, and will always provide her strong, greatly valued support for TIAW.

 

 

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2011 Recipient: Margie Armen

We are delighted to announce Margie Armen as the recipient of the Mandy Goetze 21st Century Award for 2011. Margie is well known in TIAW for her many years of dedication and service, including her board service as Secretary 2003-2005 and as Parliamentarian and Legal Advisor 2005-2008. Margie has also been a devoted, hard working member of the Microenterprise Development Program since 2000 serving as legal advisor. Now that this important program is once again being run solely by volunteers, Margie never hesitated to volunteer to take on the role of Chief Operating Officer of the program to oversee its day-to-day operations.

Margie is always ready to provide any additional help TIAW may ask of her including to help organize the 2010 Global Cities event in Washington, DC. Margie has participated in a number of TIAW Donor Trip for the Micro Program to visit countries and women receiving micro loans from the TIAW program.

In her professional life Margie spent over 28 years in the office of General Counsel of the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) and retired in 2006 as Deputy Assistant General Counsel.

Margie is passionate about volunteering to make a difference. Margie helped found Capital Area Women, a women's self development and support group and was its Treasurer from 2002-05. She served on the Board of the American Association for Budget and Program Analysis (AABPA) for 15 years as General Counsel and she was AABPA President in 1994. She was President of Public Financial Publications, Inc. (publishers of the Journal, Public Budgeting and Finance) from 2002-07, capping 20 years of service on that Board. Margie joined Executive Women in Government in 1998, and she served as EWG Vice President in 2002-03.