The Arlington Commission on the Status of Women opened 2026 with a goal of increasing public awareness of its activities.
But the effort also came with a caution that the body not stray from its statutory role as an advisory panel to the County Board.
Commission vice chair Marguerete Luter raised the possibility of ramping up attendance and sponsorship of the Women of Vision program, using any excess funds to support other outreach efforts this year.
Other possible ways to broaden the commission’s reach in the community, as discussed at a Jan. 11 planning retreat, include partnering with other county advisory boards and having representation at the annual women’s conference sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D-8).
“We want to drive engagement,” commission chair Caroline Romano said.
A hurdle to overcome is the commission’s limited ability to raise funds for additional programming, such as community forums. At present, donations are accepted in support of the Women of Vision awards program, but only in the form of checks from those attending or sponsoring it.
Some discussion at the Jan. 11 meeting centered on ways to expand fundraising. Whether that even would be possible is a question that needs to be explored, Luter said.
“We are under the county. We’re not a nonprofit. We’re not a legal entity,” Luter said. “We exist at the pleasure of the [County] Board.”
Beyond getting county approval, the body would need to be able to explain to potential donors what their funding would be used for, Luter said.
“Before we get all excited about running out and collecting money … we have to answer all those questions that any good, self-respecting nonprofit would answer,” she said. “We have none of those resources or mechanisms with which to do that.”
Romano urged commission members to increase their social media activity to spread the word. Luter agreed, but urged caution on anything that might suggest messaging was a formal position of the commission rather than of individual members.
“We cannot do or say anything that might give off the appearance that the County Board is behind something, unless we are certain it is something the County Board supports,” she said.
The commission was established in 1974. Its signature activity, the Women of Vision program, was inaugurated in 1988.
In recent years, the annual awards have honored recipients in the business, nonprofit and government sectors. Honorees in 2025 were Rebecca Singhavong, SC Nealy and Krista O’Connell.
Nominations for 2026 Women of Vision honors close on Feb. 6.
While initially known as the Person of Vision Awards, the awards program has always primarily focused on achievements of women in the community.
The lone male recipient over the award’s history was former Superintendent Arthur Gosling, honored in 1997.
