Welcome to the Junior League of Washington!

Welcome to the 111th year of the Junior League of Washington (JLW)! It is my honor to serve as President as we embark on a journey to expand our impact and engagement, both within our League and alongside our community, by embracing fresh opportunities to GO & GROW.

Over the last 110 years, the Junior League of Washington has provided generational leadership to the Washington D.C. area. From serving as airplane spotters defending Washington during WWII, to being the first to hold babies affected by AIDS and supporting the Whitman Walker Clinic, to helping found Bright Beginnings, the women of this organization and the leadership have blazed trails for us to follow, breaking down barriers to GROW both as a League and for the community we serve. 

JLW hasn’t gotten to our 111th year without evolving to meet the needs of our members and our community. In order to ensure all of the “seeds” we have planted in the last 110 years continue to grow and thrive, we need to explore new directions – find new soil to plant in. The kind of soil that is ripe and fertile for growth. 

In the 111th year of JLW, we will GO in some new directions, cultivating and creating new partnerships and relationships. We will also go where the need is the greatest in our community.

Why is all of this GO-ing so important to me? It is so we can GROW in the direction our Community and Members are asking us. We will grow new community partnerships to better support our new focus area “Supporting Pathways to Opportunities.” We will also grow the leadership and volunteer skills of our members to provide more impact in our work lives, personal lives and most importantly our communities. Lastly, we will grow our membership to better mirror the community in which we live and serve. 

Last League year, Past President Katherine Rodriguez created the DEIAB Taskforce, and we hired a consultant to help us create a roadmap and strategy for how to continue to create a Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive and Accessible Organization that makes all of our members feel like they Belong. I am so proud of this work and excited to continue this taskforce and work, ingraining the recommendations and strategies into every facet of the league, its committees, operations and core values. 

We also restructured and re-launched our Strategic Advisory Board, a group of community and business leaders outside of JLW. These well-connected advisors will work with us throughout the year to provide different perspectives on our top questions for growth and longevity.

Finally, we will look at all of our committees, councils, events and work through the lens of “Simplify and Edit.” We often make it too difficult for ourselves. I believe by keeping things simple, we can grow our impact, engagement, and member satisfaction. 

I will leave you with a quote from Laura Volpacchio: 

“Sometimes things make sense and then they don’t make sense again. It’s a spiral. We circle around to similar lessons, feelings, and challenges, but we experience them at different levels of awareness. And we keep hitting the same challenges until we learn the lessons we need to in order to let go & grow.”  

I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and hope that you will join me, President-Elect Charlyn Stanberry, and our Board of Directors as we Go & Grow in our 111th year. 

In Service, 

Kimberly Price

President 2023-2024

Junior League of Washington