Beyer To Honor Former Career USAID Foreign Service Officer at Annual Women’s Conference

Rep. Don Beyer will award 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), the Clara Mortenson Beyer Women and Children First Award at his Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience on Thursday, January 15 at George Mason University's new Fuse building in Arlington.

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, Cambodia, and Jordan; Global Water Coordinator; and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Private Sector and Donor Coordination, Europe and Eurasia (E&E) Bureau. In February of 2025, Nancy Eslick was one of thousands of USAID employees who lost their job following Donald Trump's illegal attacks on the agency.

"Nancy's more than two decades of leadership at USAID is a reminder of the profound difference American leadership can make in the world. The loss of her expertise and dedication, compounded with the loss of so many of her colleagues in the federal foreign and 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 also 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 Annual Women's Conference: The Ripple Effects of Resilience 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 Zuraya Tapia-Hadley, Executive Director of the Dream Project and Arlington County School Board Member. 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.

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.