National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 32, No. 12 * June 26, 2000

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Henrico supervisor wins
award for public service

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Supervisor Patricia S. O'Bannon

Henrico County, Va. Supervisor Patricia S. O’Bannon is a winner of the third annual Good Housekeeping Awards for Women in Government. The award recognizes 10 women who have improved the lives of others through innovative programs and dedication to public service.

In addition to receiving a $2,500 prize, O’Bannon was honored at a luncheon, in Washington, D.C. and will be profiled in the July issue of Good Housekeeping magazine.

Judges selected O’Bannon because of her work and achievements in combating domestic violence. O’Bannon was the catalyst in developing Henrico County’s Domestic Violence Team, which pairs public and private organizations to help victims through the entire judicial process and increase accountability of batterers. She has worked to create an improved system that documents and collects domestic violence data, has assisted in the development of training programs for various county agencies and supported the establishment of two shelters in Henrico. O’Bannon is donating her $2,500 prize and an additional $2,500 of her own money to further domestic violence programs in Henrico County.

“It is important to honor the often-overlooked women, from grass-roots activists to federal policy-makers, who are truly making a difference in our lives,” said Ellen Levine, Good Housekeeping editor-in-chief. “Though much of our attention is focused on the national elections, we must salute the public servants who act as much-needed role models and make such an impact on our communities.”

For this award, Good Housekeeping collaborated with the Ford Foundation, the Partnership for Trust in Government and the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), which is a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

A panel of 12 judges, co-chaired by former Congresswomen Susan Molinari and Patricia Schroeder, along with the editorial staff of Good Housekeeping magazine, selected the final winners.