News

The 2026 Eagle Award Celebration, attended by members of the ARCS® Metro Washington Chapter (ARCS MWC) and other ARCS chapters, donors, Scholars, Scholar Alums, and guests, was held on May 1 at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC.

The Honorable Deborah Wince-Smith, Founder and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness and an ARCS MWC member, received the Eagle Award in recognition of “her extraordinary leadership in the advancement of American science, technology, medical research, and engineering.” In her inspiring remarks, she reminded us, “To the ARCS Foundation Metro Washington Chapter—thank you! For your commitment to science, for your investment in people, and for understanding that national strength begins with human talent. We do not inherit the future; we build it! And we will only build it if we invest in the people capable of carrying it forward.”  

Other highlights of the evening included remarks from ARCS Foundation President Jill Bray of the Phoenix Chapter; ARCS MWC Scholars Kieran Barvenik (UMD), Darrian Mills (GTWN), and Clara Stahlmann Roeder O’Connor (UVA); and 1982 ARCS MWC Scholar Alum Dr. Peter McDonnell, Director of the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. McDonnell was also the ARCS Alumni Hall of Fame inductee in 2019 for inventions and medical advances in ophthalmology that have improved sight for patients worldwide. As Dr. McDonnell noted, “Investing in people at the beginning of their research careers will have great impact going forward. This is more impactful than recognition at the end of a career.”

The evening was also an extremely successful fundraiser! Our guests were incredibly generous, enthusiastically donating more than $50,000 to our Scholar Fund through the Live Auction and Raise the Paddle. The Scholar Fund will also benefit from additional pre-event donations from Silver and Bronze Sponsors and other donors.

We thank our host at The Army and Navy Club, ARCS MWC member Alice Laning. We also thank the entire MWC Eagle Event Support Team, including event planners, the communications team, venue coordinators, welcome greeters, auctioneers, auction item donors, and the check-out team. Their collective efforts made this joyous celebration possible.