Beyer To Honor Former Career USAID Civil Servant at Annual Women’s Conference

Rep. Don Beyer today announced that Nancy Eslick, who most recently served as Senior Deputy Assistant to the Administrator of the Resilience, Environment & Food Security (REFS) Bureau at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), will receive the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award at his Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience on Monday, October 6.

Since joining USAID in 2001, Nancy Eslick dedicated her career to serving vulnerable communities across the globe. She held key leadership roles including Mission Director in Bosnia & Herzegovina and Cambodia, Global Water Coordinator, and most recently, Senior Deputy Assistant to the Administrator in the Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS) Bureau. In February of this year, Nancy Eslick was one of thousands of USAID employees who lost their job during Donald Trump's illegal attacks on the agency.

"Nancy's more than two decades of leadership at USAID serves as a reminder of the profound difference American leadership can make in the world. The loss of her expertise and dedication along with that of so many of her colleagues from the federal civil service will do lasting damage to people in this country and around the world. It means fewer children with safe drinking water, fewer women with access to resources that allow them to thrive, and fewer communities with the tools needed to weather conflict, economic instability, and climate disasters," said Rep. Don Beyer. "Honoring Nancy is not only a celebration of her extraordinary service, but an urgent reminder to continue defending USAID's mission. We owe it to Nancy, her former colleagues, and the communities they served to ensure that this mission endures."

Rep. Beyer's Ninth Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience will be held on Monday, October 6 at George Mason University's new Fuse building in Arlington. The program will feature a discussion with Brooke Sydnor Curran, founder of Move2Learn; Lisa Jacobs, Executive Director of the Alexandria Tutoring Consortium; Elizabeth Jones Valderrama, Executive Director of Offender Aid and Restoration (OAR); and Ana Dionne-Lanier, Attorney at the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights. The discussion will be moderated by Nyree Wright, Executive Vice President of Crisis & Risk Communications at Edelman. The event is free to the public but capacity is limited, so attendees are encouraged to register online here.

Please note that in the event of a government shutdown, this event may be rescheduled.

Rep. Beyer created the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award while Ambassador to Switzerland in 2011. It is named after his grandmother, who is credited with convincing the Roosevelt Administration to appoint Frances Perkins, the first female Cabinet Secretary in the United States. Clara Beyer served as Secretary Perkins' right hand, working on child labor issues. She was the first woman appointed as U.S. Representative to the International Labor Organization in Geneva.

The award is given annually to recognize exceptional work to empower women. Previous awardees include Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Tanya J. Bradsher, Dr. Tahera Ahmadi, journalist Marie Ridder, gun violence prevention advocate Naomi Wadler, rock climber Sasha DiGiulian, diplomat Betty King, PeaceWomen founder Ruth Gaby Vermot, journalist Lisa Feldmann, Arlington community activist Portia Clark, and immigration advocate Ofelia Calderón.