2023

Janice Miller has lived in the City of Fairfax since 1970.  From her early days as a community volunteer and elected leader, she worked to offer outstanding academic opportunities for all children, improve school facilities, provide recreational opportunities for residents of all ages and was instrumental in the formation of Fairfax Village in the City – a program designed to assist seniors and handicapped individuals to remain in their homes.  She worked to promote and mentor new leaders while on the City Council and the School Board.  Making and keeping colleagues as friends and associates was a hallmark of her service.

Ms.  Miller served her first term on City Council from 1992-94 and was elected for four additional terms from 2014-2022.  As an engaged council member, Ms. Miller pushed modifications to the development process and for sensible development that would compliment existing neighbors.  She – along with Council Member Michael DeMarco – worked with a citizen’s group to explore and recommend a central location for a community center. She was and is a strong advocate for the Sherwood/Willard project – a public/public partnership to build a community center that will feature a full-sized gym, senior center, community rooms, a fitness center as well as a Fairfax County Health Department and a day center.  Ms. Miller advocated for the expansion of senior activities including dedicated pickle ball courts.  She also supported Van Dyck Park improvements.  

Ms. Miller was first appointed to the School Board in 1977.  During her 29-year tenure on the board, she was an active leader both as board chairman and vice chair.  She championed the renovation and expansion of our two elementary schools as well as Katherine Johnson Middle School and Fairfax High.  She provided leadership to both School Bond Committees that supported the additions and renovations.  

Ms. Miller served on numerous regional boards, including the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Human Services & Public Safety Policy Committee and the Virginia Municipal League Human Development and Education Committee.    While on the School Board, Ms. Miller was active in the Virginia School Board Association.  She served as a regional officer as well as on the VSBA Board of Directors.  

Ms. Miller was active in local PTAs and youth organizations.  She served on Fairfax Little League’s Board of Directors and as the first woman president in 1982.  She also organized the girls’ basketball program for FPYC.  She was a founding member of Northern Virginia Project Graduation – a program that offered alcohol free and drug free celebrations for high school graduates.  She along with other parents initiated Fairfax High School’s All Night Grad Celebration and chaired the grad night event for Fairfax High Classes 1988, 1989 and 1994. She was a founding member of the Chocolate Lovers Festival Committee – both a past chairman and a member of the Board of Directors.

Ms. Miller served as secretary for the Friends of Fairfax. She also represented the School Board on the City’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board.  She is a member of Historic Fairfax City, Inc.

Ms. Miller graduated from the University of Kansas.  She was a middle school teacher and most recently, a travel consultant.  Miller has four children and four grandchildren. 

 2023

Katy (McPherson) Malesky is devoted to assisting poor and hungry families in and around the Fairfax City community.  She is driven to supporting food insecure students in our schools and bringing awareness to their needs in our community.

As the director for A Place to Eat, Katy helps to provide supplemental assistance on a regular or emergency basis for students. In addition to the weekend food bags for elementary students, she’s created a convenient space for middle and high school students to access food, household, and hygiene items. 

A city resident since 2001 Katy coached FPYC soccer and served on the Maple Trace HOA board. She has also served on the PTA boards of Daniels Run Elementary and Katherine Johnson Middle School and remains a PTSA member at Fairfax High School. 

Watch this video to meet the 2023 Women of Influence Award recipients:

Meet the women who are being honored in 2022 for their service to the community.

 2022

Hildie Carney’s community activism started from the ground up, with decades-long memberships in the Old Lee Hills and Fairfax Ferns garden clubs. Her love of history and preservation led her to the presidency of Historic Fairfax City, Inc., and being one of “The Five” who encouraged the city to acquire the Historic Blenheim house and the surrounding land.  A city resident since 1965, Carney has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Commission for Women, Board of Architectural Review, Festival of Lights and Carols Committee, and Independence Day Celebration Committee. She recently was named manager of the Kitty Pozer Garden in Old Town Square.

 2022

Carolyn Sutterfield was galvanized while editing a journal for the Association of Science and Technology Centers about how communities, municipalities, and associations were working to meet the challenges of aging populations. She also was deeply affected while helping family members navigate their last years of life and end-of-life-planning. A city resident since 1988, she represents the city on the regional Fairfax Area Commission on Aging (as well as serving as chair and secretary) and has served on the City of Fairfax Human Services Committee and Mayor’s Committee on Housing for the City of Fairfax. She also served as chair of the Mosby Woods Village Steering Committee.

Watch this video to meet the 2022 Women of Influence Award recipients:

Meet the woman who was honored in 2021 for her service to the community.

 2021

Jennifer Passey is the director of engagement of Girls on the Run of NOVA, a city-based non-profit organization, serves 5,000 pre-teen girls throughout the region. The organization’s 10-week interactive program helps girls develop positive/healthy relationships, grow in confidence, set goals, and create healthy habits.

GOTR NOVA programs culminate in a celebratory 5K event, which she was determined would take place in 2020 despite the pandemic. She and her fellow coaches masked-up to work with her 17-member Fairfax City team, cheering as every team member crossed the finish line in the Veterans Amphitheater. (The event has been scheduled for 2021.)

She served on the GOTR NOVA inaugural IDEA Commission to advance inclusivity, diversity, equity, and access for the organization. The former Fairfax City council member also has served the city Planning Commission.

Watch this video to meet the 2021 award recipient:

 2020

Susan Barborek, or “Coach B,” is a 20-plus-year city resident who owns SOAR Management Consulting, LLC, and serves as the Fairfax High School girls’ varsity gymnastics coach. Both in her professional and volunteer paths, she is known for her support and influence. Current and former team members
praise her for making them want to be “a better person inside and outside the gym.” Professionally, her peers praise her entrepreneurial spirit and leadership.
 

2020

Janet Jaworski, who has lived in the city for two decades, has served on numerous city boards and commissions, including the Planning Commission (which she chaired) and the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. She also volunteered on the city’s Childhood Hunger Task Force. The long-time mentor at Daniels Run Elementary School enthusiastically encourages others to become mentors. Community members praise her for being a sensitive advocate for autism and appreciate her commitment to native plants and sustaining habitat for butterflies and bees; her photography of the habitat and its inhabitants is called “stunning.”