Join Marymount University friends, donors, and community members for the 2026 Halo Awards Celebration on Thursday, April 9, 2026, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at the iconic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., for an unforgettable evening of celebration and purpose. This year’s black-tie gala will be chaired by Marymount’s distinguished alumna and CEO of Ridgewells Catering, Susan Lacz ’83.
Now in its fifth year, the Halo Awards Ceremony is a powerful expression of Marymount’s mission to lead through service, excellence and community engagement. The event will spotlight the extraordinary accomplishments of alumni, faculty and community members whose lives and work embody those values, while raising vital funds in support of the Marymount Student Emergency Scholarship, which provides direct assistance to students facing unexpected financial hardship.
Meet Our 2026 Honorees
Michael J. Hershman, Mother Gerard Phelan Gold Medal
The Mother Gerard Phelan Gold Medal is awarded to an individual to recognize personal and professional achievements of an exemplary nature.
Michael J. Hershman is an internationally recognized expert on transparency, accountability, governance, litigation and security issues. He began his career in military intelligence and government service, serving as an investigator for the Senate Watergate Committee during the Watergate scandal and as the Deputy Staff Director of the Subcommittee on International Organizations of the Committee on International Relations. In 1983, he founded The Fairfax Group, an anti-corruption investigation and corporate compliance firm, and later co-founded Transparency International – the largest independent, not-for-profit coalition promoting transparency and accountability in business, government, and civil society.
Hershman currently serves as the Chairman of Marymount’s Board of Trustees and serves on the boards of the Center for International Private Enterprise, the Coalition for Integrity, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the City University of New York.
Courtney B. Spaeth, Saint of Service Award
The Saint of Service Award recognizes outstanding service to Marymount or the Catholic community.
Courtney B. Spaeth is the Chief Executive Officer of growth[period], a global, multi-million-dollar consulting firm. She is one of the leading business development and corporate operations authorities in the world as well as an experienced corporate Board member. Mrs. Spaeth founded growth[period] in 2007, and as a result of her leadership, growth[period] has a proven track record of helping over 450 companies in both the commercial and federal sectors achieve smart growth through business development as well as via acquisitions.
Spaeth serves on several corporate and nonprofit boards, including the Greater Washington Board of Trade and the Trustees Council for Women at the University of Pennsylvania. She has also served on the Marymount Board of Trustees since 2014. She holds a master’s degree in National Security Studies from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s degree in military history from the University of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Spaeth is a graduate of the TRIUM Program- a triple degree MBA program simultaneously awarded by the London School of Economics, NYU Stern School of Business and HEC in Paris. She also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Art Crime from the Association of Art Crime Research. For the past eleven years growth[period] has been voted in the top twenty “best places to work” by the Washington Business Journal.
Elaine Levin, Class of 1989, Distinguished Alumni Award
The Distinguished Alumni Award honors alumni with significant professional accomplishments and service to the community.
Elaine Levin ’89 is the President & CEO of POWERHOUSE, an independent brokerage firm that helps clients protect profit margins and drive growth through energy price risk management. With more than 30 years of experience, Levin works with clients across the energy supply chain, advising producers, refiners, marketers, and end users. Before co-founding POWERHOUSE, Levin served as Vice President, Futures Specialist at Morgan Stanley. For more than 20 years, she has taught hundreds of senior energy executives the principles of fuel and energy price risk management, most recently as instructor for POWERHOUSE’s Practical Fuel Hedging class. A recognized voice in the energy sector, Levin is frequently quoted in industry and national media and regularly speaks at national and state energy events.
In 2023, Elaine received the Woman of the Year Award from Women in Energy, a national association of energy professionals. She also served as president of the National Capital Area Chapter of the United States Association for Energy Economists (NCAC-USAEE). Elaine graduated from Marymount University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
Dr. Lisa Turissini, Distinguished Faculty Award
The Distinguished Faculty Award celebrates a faculty member who has displayed excellence in teaching, research and leadership.
Dr. Lisa Turissini is a professor of education and a former director of Marymount University’s School of Education. With more than 20 years of service at Marymount, she has played a central role in shaping the School of Education into a national leader in preparing educators and school leaders to serve diverse communities. She joined Marymount in 2004 following 15 years as a teacher, school principal and nonprofit education executive, later serving as chair of the Education Department and director of the School of Education from 2020–2024. Under her leadership, the School of Education expanded accredited academic offerings from undergraduate licensure programs to doctoral studies, including the launch of the online Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Organizational Innovation and the Early Learning Academy.
She holds an Ed.D. from Nova Southeastern University and an M.B.A. and B.S. from St. John’s University.
A Night of Purpose
All proceeds from the 2026 Halo Awards Ceremony ticket sales and that evening’s auction will support The Stay on Track Scholarship. This scholarship helps students facing unexpected financial hardships stay enrolled, continue their studies, and pursue their academic and career goals.
The Halo Awards Ceremony is one of Marymount University’s signature events, uniting tradition, philanthropy and forward momentum in support of students and the broader mission of the university.
For ticketing and sponsorship opportunity information, please visit Marymount University’s Halo Awards webpage. We ask all attendees to RSVP by March 26, 2026.
