ANNOUNCING Nominees for the 2023 Aglet Awards
March 24, 2023
Today, we are excited to announce the 43 nominees for the 2023 Aglet Awards. Each name is listed alongside a select quote from their nominator.
Aglet Awards are for someone you know who provided critical support, leadership, insight, capacity, creativity, morale, or anything else that comes to mind, to help an important cause. The top 5 winners, chosen by a panel of 10 judges from the greater Aglet network, will be announced on April 7, 2023 and win $100 cash awards each. More information is available here.
The 2023 Aglet Award Nominees:
Amy Adsley –– “Amy never hesitates to jump in where there is an immediate need - a bad court ruling, an emergency response to a thread to civil liberties. Not only do I deeply depend on Amy's expertise as she juggles two roles, so do all of our members... Women do not get recognized enough for the ways they show up and take on additional labor. I want to honor and recognize Amy's contribution by nominating her for the Aglet Award.”
Dillon Bernard –– “Dillon is a young creative director working at the intersection of digital storytelling and social impact... As a champion to young leaders and someone who creatively thinks around adding cultural strategy, he is a much-needed powerhouse in the space.”
Illyana Bocanegra –– “Illyana's advocacy work has been particularly impactful in the area of design and media. They have been a leading voice in efforts to improve National Center For Transgender Equality's (NCTE) brand, design, and accessibility of media for a transgender audience. They were organizing closely with women, transgender, and nonbinary people in Austin, Texas for years before venturing into design work. Their efforts have helped to make numerous community initiatives stand out and be taken seriously.”
Chloe Burns –– “Chloe works 24/7 to rescue and care for vulnerable animals! Specifically, I have worked with her on fostering kittens she has saved from terrible situations. She is always available by phone (nights, weekends, etc) to help support her rescue babies. I'm certain that she doesn't get paid enough, nor does she get the recognition she deserves! She deserves lots of good vibes and awards for saving lots of animals' lives.”
Joe Cardillo –– “Joe has volunteered their time to co-host webinars for job seekers, collaborated with Black Remote She to create a free email course for Black LGBTQ+ and allied job seekers, and compiled a consistent list of resources and paid opportunities for creatives and creative business owners through their platform Coffee + Creatives.”
Olivia Castellanos –– “Ensuring the dignity and safety of the patients she works with is Olivia’s highest priority and she never sacrifices authenticity for efficiency. Her work is beautiful, ethical, honest, and impactful.”
Sarah Collins –– “Sarah is one of the sharpest, most clear-eyed, living-her-values person I know. She sees and acts on the world with enviable and admirable moral clarity ... Especially when you're up against the headwinds of the skewed incentives of global capitalism, attention- cannibalizing consumer tech business models. Are we crazy for thinking anything can change? Or are we crazy for not trying to change them? Sarah is a person I always look to that lets me know the answer is clear. We must charge on. “
Mandy Van Deven –– “Mandy is incredibly generous with her time and is always sharing jobs, guidance, and other resources that make other people's lives better. She is a super-connector within the social justice space and does this 'network weaving' with no expectation of getting anything back in return.”
Faith Dow –– “Started an online forum providing amazing resources, advice and even more importantly being proactive about protecting the audience from being attacked by trolls. A lot of common sense advice and useful at building a community and off the platform.”
LeVar Eady –– “Levar works to ensure that Black farmers and entrepreneurs- especially those impacted by the war on drugs- can benefit from the legal cannabis system. He has struggled to get funding, investment, etc but just keeps going. He is teaching others how to cultivate even as he tries to get his own farm off the ground. His vision is to pay it forward to other Black farmers and entrepreneurs.”
Danielle Elizalde –– "Danielle is so positive, creative, and warm hearted - considering all the negativity put towards the queer community in the air these days they still maintain such a positive and upbeat attitude. Always, always looking for the silver lining - taking gold from a dirty place kind of person.”
Julie Feng –– "Julie Feng has provided the deepest creativity, wisdom, and fire to community-led advocacy work for immigrant communities, youth leadership, and more. From developing a critical research report to sway policymakers to creating beautiful artwork through digital illustrations to her steadfast storytelling that shifts narratives and moves mountains, everything she does is full of love for community and a passionate commitment for justice."
Abbey Ford –– “Abbey provided the backbone of operations for a fledging organization at the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) in a cycle where we had to build an entire org while trying to win critical Secretaries of State races...Best of all, she works with kindness and isn’t afraid to have a little fun while she does it.”
Dr. Jennifer Furin –– “Dr Furin has been a driving force in supporting countries with high burdens of TB with the best knowledge and tools to fight the disease. She has pushed the W.H.O. to be more progressive and set higher standards for TB care...As impressive as Dr Furin's work is the way she approaches it -- she dedicates seemingly endless time and patience to mentor new people in the field, and fight to ensure that the perspectives of members of affected communities are included in the decisions made about their care.”
Dustin Gibson –– “Dustin believes to the core of his being that people deserve worth, dignity and that no one should be thrown away. Dustin creates spaces for people to move into leadership, in all he does. He brings people along and together in creating a vibrant and necessary disability justice movement.”
Candy Gonzalez –– “Candy is an innovator in the world of art education- centering healing and community in their work. People who have never felt comfortable enough to create, do, within spaces Candy runs.”
Kristen Greenwood –– “Ms. Kristen is the executive director for GirlSpring, a non-profit whose mission is to provide access to reliable information, inspiring events, and positive role models so girls and (ages 9-18) are empowered to reach their full potential... GirlSpring has made such a difference in many young girls lives and it's given all of them a platform to lead and become the people they are today.”
James Isaacs –– “James launched and has been leading the mental health ministry at our church...He has been both vulnerable and a pillar of strength for our community... He is the embodiment of what it means to live your faith.”
Pascale Joseph –– “Her approach to work is human centered and I have honestly never encountered such an empathetic and powerfully inspiring leader before....Although I am no longer at this organization, Pascale will forever be a person I remember as being pivotal to who I am now. And I know there are so many others who feel the same.”
Kathy Kempff –– “Kathy founded Moja Tu, an organization that helps to pay school fees and provides support for students in Kenya. This year is the organization's 10th anniversary… Like many of us, Kathy has a busy life. But she took good intentions and turned them into action. Kathy is an inspiration, and this story needs to be known. In the first year, Moja Tu covered just 10 students, very achievable, right? But think, that's 10 lives, 10 children. With time, this grew and expanded.”
Sabrina Lang –– “She goes to many national and state meetings, even though she’s barely 18. She’s shown me that I can impact the community now, even though I’m a kid…. She’s one of the hardest working people in our graduating class.”
Julie Leftwich –– “Julie has literally impacted over 750 clients in 5 years helping them stay in the USA through a variety of legal actions. Each of these families are incredibly grateful and full of love for her. It's overwhelming the amount of need and she takes as many cases as she possibly can.”
Lucy Li –– “Lucy's focus on meeting students where they're at is promising for both students' experiences and her future as a therapist...Her compassionate, strategic, and determined attitude towards caring for students gives lots of hope as she grows as a therapist and affects many lives through individualized and carefully thought-out support.”
Betsy López-Wagner –– “Betsy is leading the charge in equitable communications. She's an incredible partner in business, advocacy and life that works only with mission-driven organizations and always puts their interests ahead of her own.”
Matt & Christy Lyons –– “What inspired me to nominate them, is that they really go above and beyond what others would do. They took in Smokey, the elderly dog of their good friend Liz who died young from breast cancer and cared for Smokey for years until he crossed the rainbow bridge. Must recently, they took in Pa, a young greyhound who became paralyzed due to a freak accident... They are both good, kind people, who love animals and make the world a better place.”
Heather MacDonald –– “Heather has a level of grit and determination that I've never seen before... After the 2022 campaign, she acknowledged that even though she didn't win the election, those issues were still in need of fixing. She has been fighting for change ever since by supporting other candidates, educating voters, helping with voter registration, and even launching her own nonprofit.”
Sarah Marsom –– “In a time when we were all stuck at home and worried about the state of the world, she created space for people to share their experiences and expertise with peers. It was just the beginning, and she's continuing to do programming around this “Dismantle Preservation” idea... She's just absolutely rad.”
Tiffany McSwine –– “Tiffany has worked with folks experiencing homelessness and domestic violence. She's also worked to build deeper partnerships and connections with BIPOC businesses and nonprofits to connect more job opportunities to under-served communities.... Tiffany's genuine and caring energy expanded beyond her role. Despite being laid off recently, she's remained…to help other folks navigate their layoffs...Despite receiving limited help from the company that laid her off, her kindness and capacity continues to extend to others.”
Monique Muffie Mousseau –– “Launched the first Native American PowWow in Sioux Falls, SD; instrumental in getting the Oglala Sioux Tribe to pass anti-hate legislation and recognition of Two Spirit (2S) identity.”
Cynthia Murray –– “In the aftermath of the mass shooting at a Chesapeake, VA, Walmart store, where the shooter was a Walmart associate, Cyndi was angry and scared, so she decided to file a resolution asking Walmart to conduct a review of its policies and protocols regarding workplace violence and to improve protections for workers. She has already secured co-signers and is hopeful this effort will help bring needed change.”
Sha Ongelungel –– “She’s someone who will show up when called and will put herself on the line to protect survivors and make sure their stories get told...She pushes to make sure her community is visible without centering herself, and makes people feel seen and heard. She takes on fights when she knows that she’s going to get all the pushback personally and brushes it off like it was crumbs.”
Radhika Pant –– “Radhika has done so many things in every field, it's incredible. Radhika works as the Vice President of GirlSpring's teen leadership board, Springboarders, and is directly responsible for empowering them to share their voices with the world.”
Amanda Pena –– “She assisted in the fundraising efforts for the emergency earthquake response team in Turkey (preparing messaging urging donors to assist and keeping people informed on updates for search and rescue efforts). It is such an important cause and a devastating situation.”
Anne Price –– “They've demonstrated true progressive leadership, not only by pushing the movement to center misogynoir, but also by calling out toxicity within nonprofits and boards… They're just the most loving, thoughtful, brilliant woman.”
Mohamed Shehk –– “Mohamed is co-director of the national abolitionist organization Critical Resistance, which has innovated and inspired so much of the organizing and narrative strategies to challenge policing and the prison industrial complex… Mohamed is a gift to our movements, a humble leader, and always puts the interests of both domestic and international justice movements above his own.”
Fiona Teng –– “I was feeling overwhelmed…Fiona sat with me for a few hours across two days to help me not only project plan, but also figure out what data was most important... She also helped me figure out how to negotiate for higher pay because..based on industry standards, I was not being comparably valued. She just made me feel so seen and heard -- I couldn't have moved forward on this project without her support!”
Lynn Tramonte –– “Lynn has been and is a relentless advocate for immigrant rights, and is consistent in addressing and calling out anti-Blackness in the immigrant rights movement and more broadly... She is truly a change-maker, brilliant communications strategist, and committed antiracist. Go, Lynn, go!”
Ivey-Camille Manybeads Tso –– “Ivey-Camille is a Diné (Navajo) activist and filmmaker. Her 2022 film Powerlands (powerlands.org) is an important contribution to global solidarity and the protection of the planet.”
Ngoc-Tran Vu –– “I have always admired Ngoc-Tran for being such a healing rock in her community. She is a constant fountain of helpful knowledge and resources, always available to build trust-based relationships, cultivate creative community projects, and connect people to one another as well as provide opportunities that truly open doors for them. I want Ngoc-Tran to know that she's incredible and truly an angel for all that she does generously for those around her.”
Tosha Wilson –– “Tosha Wilson is the definition of a community member who is fighting for a better place for the present and future of her community. She is an Evanston police officer who grew up in the community and... is a founding member of the Aux, a community space being built in Evanston that will transform a part of the city that has historically been overlooked and underfunded.”
Charlotte Yeung –– “She founded and taught a semester-long course on poetry for women and girls in Afghanistan. She used to tutor Afghan refugees... This is impressive because she is just a sophomore in college. I hope she knows that she is doing incredible things and that I and many others like me hope for her to continue helping others using creative approaches like the arts.”
Lourdes Zuniga –– “Lourdes operates Financial Health Pathways, a nonprofit in Austin, Texas. She works tirelessly advocating in political and economic spaces for more resources, financial education, and greater accessibility of financial wellness within the community. She has developed innovative programs to provide direct services to the community, and ensures that classes are available in both English and Spanish for the populations that FHP serves. “
Kell –– “After her son was diagnosed with stage IV Neuroblastoma (right when the pandemic hit), she decided to launch the movement to raise awareness. Her efforts have raised thousands of dollars that went to Memorial Sloan Kettering for childhood cancer research… I can't imagine doing it all while having a sick child.”