Washingtonian has named Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University, to its 2023 list of the ‘Most Powerful Women in Washington.’ The publication selected 169 of the ‘most influential women shaping government, business, the arts, education, law, media and nonprofits’ to highlight with this coveted recognition.
President Becerra was included in Washingtonian’s ‘Education Powers’ category, which featured five other leading female figures who either lead local colleges and universities or advocate for teachers – all wielding influence over education systems.
“It is a great honor for me to be mentioned alongside such amazing women leaders who are breaking the mold and leaving an impact on Washington,” President Becerra said. “For too long, positions of power in my field of higher education have not been representative of our nation’s rich diversity. But I am confident that our collective success as female college presidents will move the needle and result in increased gender parity in the near future.”
Since taking office at Marymount in 2018, President Becerra has introduced numerous initiatives with long-lasting effects in support of Marymount’s mission and vision for the future. These include launching the University’s new Strategic Plan, earning national recognition in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges Rankings as well as the America’s Top Colleges list by Forbes, adding market-driven academic programs, improving the University’s IT infrastructure, navigating the school community through the COVID-19 pandemic and leading efforts at the state and federal levels to advocate for legislative solutions to the DACA program that will protect Dreamer students.
During her tenure at Marymount, President Becerra has received numerous recognitions and honors such as the Washington Business Journal’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Champion Award, the Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!) organization’s Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award and Virginia Business’s Women in Leadership Award. She was also included in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education’s Top 35 Women in Higher Education.
In addition to President Becerra, four others recognized by Washingtonian in this year’s edition of the ‘Most Powerful Women in Washington’ have ties to Marymount. They include two members of the University’s Board of Trustees – Marlene Malek, Vice Chair and co-founder of Friends of Cancer Research, and Monica Schmude, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia. Two honorary degree recipients – Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S., and Sheila Johnson, founder and CEO of Salamander Resorts – also made the list.
For Washingtonian’s full list of the ‘Most Powerful Women in Washington,’ click here.
