Commissioners Announce 2026 Recipients of Outstanding Women of Burlington County Awards
Eight Burlington County women will be honored for their leadership, achievements, and service to their communities during the 2026 Outstanding Women of Burlington County Awards Reception.
For more than two decades, the Burlington County Commissioners and the Burlington County Women’s Advisory Council have honored local residents for their contributions to elevating women and improving our communities. This year’s recipients will be recognized on Tuesday, October 6, at a reception at the Riverton Country Club in Cinnaminson. The reception will provide opportunities for friends, families, and community members to celebrate the often unknown or unpublicized accomplishments of women in Burlington County.
“For far too long, the contributions of women have been downplayed or ignored, so it’s gratifying to lead a county that is home to so many outstanding women, and one that believes in celebrating their accomplishments and contributions,” said Burlington County Commissioner Director Dr. Felicia Hopson, who serves as liaison to the Women’s Advisory Council. “Each of these women has their own unique story, and each of them has had a significant and lasting impact on Burlington County.”
“The women we are honoring have stellar accomplishments in their fields, and they have gone above and beyond for their communities,” added Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, who also serves as a liaison to the Women’s Advisory Council. “We are excited to spotlight them and their achievements. By recognizing their work, we hope to inspire others throughout our community to follow their lead.”
Tickets for the awards reception are now available. They can be purchased online at https://2026BurlcoOutstandingWomenEvent.eventbrite.com.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available, and supporters can also obtain space in the event program to congratulate the award recipients. Information about sponsorship levels and program ad rates is available at https://www.burlingtoncountynj.gov/263/Womens-Advisory-Council. Questions may also be emailed to womenscouncil@co.burlington.nj.us.
All proceeds from the event fund scholarships awarded annually to graduating female high school students with plans to further their education.
This year’s honorees are:
Business Leadership: Bridget Wiese, Fulton Bank vice president and business banking relationship manager for Burlington and Mercer counties. Weise has nearly three decades of experience in the banking industry, rising from bank manager at Bank of America to her current role as Fulton Bank’s go-to business banking leader.
Wiese is also a board member of the Burlington County Regional Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the Chamber’s Women’s Business Network. She was named a Woman to Watch by South Jersey Biz and in 2020 named Burlington County Women of Achievement by the Garden State Council Boy Scouts of America.
Community Service: Stacy Kennedy, director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, one of the oldest organizations in America dedicated to enhancing farming and agriculture activities through education, information and promotional programs.
Kennedy previously directed the Agricultural Society’s Farmers Against Hunger program, which collects surplus produce from farms and farmers markets for distribution to food banks, soup kitchens and food pantries. Between 2024 and 2025 alone, the program collected more than 500,000 pounds of food that has helped feed thousands of people.
Farmers Against Hunger has used a portion of Burlington County’s Rainbow Meadow Park in Delran as its headquarters since 2020.
Diversity: Deb Price, director of the Underground Railroad Museum of Burlington County. Located in Historic Smithville Park, the museum features an extensive collection of Black History artifacts and art from across the world as part of its mission to share information and stories about the courageous struggles for freedom and equality in Burlington County and across the nation.
Price has led the museum since the passing of its founder and curator Louise Calloway in 2023. Under her leadership, the museum has launched several new initiatives, including its annual African Diaspora Festival, a tribute to women heroes of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, Black History Month Wall of Honor, and its annual Juneteenth Festival at Timbuctoo.
Education: Kecia Parham Cook, retired early childhood educator in Willingboro with more than 26 years of service and leadership with the school district. Parham Cook created innovative curriculum for the district and helped the district obtain a New Jersey Education Association Frederick L. Hipp Foundation for Excellence grant to develop STEM and environmental education activities for kindergarten and third grade students.
Parham Cook was awarded the district’s Teacher of the Year honor in 2012 and the Wilson Harrison Foundation honored her for excellence in education. She also served as Vice President of the Willingboro Education Association and was recognized by the NJEA for being part of the first all women of color executive leadership team at a local union in New Jersey.
Health: Agatha Reidy, director of nursing for the Burlington County Health Department. In that role, she oversees all the department’s public nursing programs and clinical services, including childhood lead screenings, tuberculosis services, HIV and sexually transmitted infection clinics, flu vaccine clinics, special child health services, and emergency preparedness and response activities.
Reidy has served four years as President of the New Jersey Association of Public Health Nurse Administrators, helping to increase association participation and strengthen networking and education for public health nursing professionals. She also serves on the PHACE (Public Health Associations Collaborative Effort) Executive Team and the Burlington County Minority and Equality Rights Task Force.
Law: El-Rhonda Williams Alston. Williams Alston operates a private law practice in Mount Holly and her career also includes significant government service, including work in the New Jersey Department of Corrections, New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission and New Jersey Division of Taxation. She was also one of the first administrators for the New Jersey Faith Based Initiative.
In addition to her government service, Williams Alston has served as president and board member of the Black Women Lawyers of America and the Affirmative Action Officer and Vice President of the American Civil Liberties Union-NJ. She is also active with the New Jersey and Burlington County Bar Associations, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Theta Pi Omega Chapter, the Honorable Marie White Bell American Inn of the Court, and the Central New Jersey chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc.
Leadership: Evesham Mayor Jaclyn Veasy. Mayor Veasy is a lifelong resident of Evesham Township and is now serving her 8th year as the town’s mayor. Her time in office has focused on community involvement, economic development, infrastructure improvements and open space preservation. She also serves as Vice Chair of the Burlington County Bridge Commission.
Earlier this year, Mayor Veasy was installed as the President of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, making her the 7th mayor from Burlington County to lead the organization and the first since 2015.
During her free time, she volunteers with her church and other areas of the community.
Military: Brigadier General Yvonne Mays, Adjutant General of the New Jersey National Guard and head of the New Jersey Department of Miliary Affairs. In her position, she commands more than 8,400 soldiers and airmen in the New Jersey National Guard and manages all federal and state missions for the department.
Brig. Gen Mays is the 34th person to serve as New Jersey’s top military commander, and the first Black woman to serve in that role since the New Jersey General Assembly created the state’s first militia back in 1668.
She has served in the military since enlisting in the Air Force in 1983. During her career she has worked in support of missions ranging from Just Cause and Desert Storm to the Operations Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom and the New Jersey COVID-19 response.
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