Area government, business, nonprofit, and civic sector leaders gathered yesterday to celebrate regional partnership at a revamped COG annual meeting held at a new location, HQO, DC Water’s eye-catching headquarters. The afternoon reception allowed for more networking and featured cuisine from across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, while also taking time to honor Loudoun County Chair At-Large Phyllis Randall, National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) Executive Director Marcel Acosta, and Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) with COG’s annual leadership awards.
“We really got to work this year on some landmark efforts,” said COG Board Chair and DC Councilmember Charles Allen. “I am proud of how this board came together each month with a strong focus on our region’s future, big ideas, constructive feedback, and a commitment to collaboration. In a period where our nation can seem more divided than ever, our region has found a number of ways to come together to find common ground and commit to solving problems.”
Officials discussed the many promising collaborations underway across the region, including the DMVMoves transit initiative, the return of the Potomac Conference, the launch of a major study to provide the region a backup water supply as well as plans to unveil a first-ever, regional real-time crime dashboard and create a new Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for the region. All this, and the Nationals Racing Presidents made a special appearance, too.
Scroll below for more event photos.
Loudoun County Board Chair Phyllis Randall accepts the Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award
Phyllis Randall received the Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award
Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair At-Large Phyllis Randall received the Elizabeth and David Scull Metropolitan Public Service Award. Randall was commended for her leadership in the county and region, including her focus on expanding transportation options, affordably-priced housing opportunities, and access to social services. A longtime member of the COG Board of Directors, she has consistently been a strong voice for regionalism, supporting regional housing targets and calling for COG’s Equity Emphasis Areas to inform planning decisions. Randall also currently serves on the Task Force overseeing DMVMoves, a joint initiative of the COG and WMATA to create a unified vision and sustainable funding model for the region’s transit network.
The Scull Award is presented to a local, state, or federal elected official serving a COG member jurisdiction. It is presented in the memory of Elizabeth and David Scull, two former Montgomery County Councilmembers who were strong supporters of COG and regional cooperation.
National Capital Planning Commission Executive Director Marcel Acosta accepting the Ronald F. Kirby Award for Collaborative Leadership.
Marcel Acosta received the Ronald F. Kirby Award for Collaborative Leadership
National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) Executive Director Marcel Acosta was honored with the Ronald F. Kirby Award for Collaborative Leadership. Throughout his 20 years at NCPC, Acosta has worked closely with COG to support planning efforts around multimodal transportation, promote sustainable and equitable development, and ensure safe communities. Most recently, he was instrumental in the joint NCPC/COG study considering the impacts of the federal government’s changing footprint and return to work policies on our local economy.
The Kirby Award honors area government executives who work collaboratively with elected officials, stakeholders, and their communities to shape a better region. The award is presented in the memory of Ron Kirby, COG’s Transportation Planning Director from 1987 to 2013.
Race Forward's Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) accepting the Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership. From left to right: COG Executive Director Clark Mercer, Race Forward Chief of Staff Karla Bruce, GARE staff Karen Shaban, and Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk.
Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity received the Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership
Race Forward’s Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) was honored with the Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership. Since 2020, GARE, in partnership with COG’s Chief Equity Officers Committee, has conducted four regional racial equity learning cohorts and continues to work with COG to instill equitable policies and practices across the metropolitan Washington region. With GARE’s assistance, COG adopted 10 Regional Equitable Development Principles to guide local governments in advancing equity by incorporating these principles into comprehensive plans, particularly around planning and zoning.
The Freudberg Award recognizes organizations or individuals that provided leadership in support of regional policies or programs endorsed by COG. The award is presented in the memory of Stuart A. Freudberg, who in his 40-year career at COG, served in several leadership positions in the organization, including Deputy Executive Director from 2014 to 2020.
2025 Corporate Officers of the Council of Governments
COG also elected its corporate officers for 2025
City of College Park Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell was elected Corporate President, City of Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read and District of Columbia Council Member Kenyan McDuffie were elected as Corporate Vice-Presidents, and City of Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor was elected as Secretary-Treasurer.
MORE:
To view all photos (plus 360 photobooth videos) from this year's Annual Meeting, visit COG's Flickr album.