The Engage Awards 2025
Celebrating Bipartisanship
On October 28th, Engage gathered nearly 200 friends at the National Museum of Women in the Arts for the third annual Engage Awards. The evening celebrated bipartisanship, responsible legislation, and purpose. Policymakers, business leaders, and changemakers joined to honor those driving real solutions for women’s economic security and their families.
Five awards were presented. Senator Deb Fischer from Nebraska received the Republican Public Service Award for securing permanency of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Employer Tax Credit in July 2025. Representative Chrissy Houlahan from Pennsylvania received the Democratic Public Service Award for her co-leadership of the House Paid Family Leave working group, her legislation featured in this issue and long-time support of military families.
Elizabeth Falcone, Chief of Staff to Senator Mark Warner received the outstanding congressional staffer honor. Elizabeth’s dedication to the institution of the US Senate, the people of Virginia and commitment to working together were highlighted.
Vanessa Broadhurst of Johnson & Johnson received the Corporate Leadership award. Fred Humphries on behalf of Microsoft accepted the inaugural Disability Economic Security Award.
It was a unique and hopeful evening offering a rare chance to experience the dedication, respect, productivity and friendship shared by so many Member of Congress. And just as importantly paying tribute to stellar corporate leadership that supports communities in need.
Can’t wait till next year!
Heard from the Engage Stage
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA): “Thank you for creating Engage. Thank you for, in a time when the notion of bipartisanship actually getting to yes, we could use a hell of a lot more of you.”
Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE): “None of this progress that we make happens on its own. It takes leadership, it takes determination, and it takes partnerships, and that’s why Engage is so important. You elevate women’s voices to strengthen their economic footing and build consensus around real solutions, solutions that work.”
Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA): “I’m very, very grateful for Engage, for highlighting the good work that is happening that is often very invisible, especially when it comes to work that involves families.”
Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN): “Rachel Pearson, we thank you for all you do to encourage bipartisanship.”
Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL): ”I’ve been so grateful for Engage’s partnership on my legislative agenda, everything related to healthcare, maternal health, growing our healthcare workforce.”
Senator Ted Budd (R-NC): “I want to thank Engage for their continued work on bipartisanship – the theme of the evening. This year, my Pell Act was signed into law, giving millions of Americans the opportunity to earn industry recognized credentials without taking on long term debt”
Republican Public Service Award
Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)
“We have common ground and policies rooted in our shared values on child care. We agree that no one should ever have to chose between putting food on the table and making sure their children have safe and high quality supervision, which is why we’ve worked together to make child care more affordable and on paid family leave. We both work to make sure families can take time off without facing devastating financial strain.”
–Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
“Tonight we’re celebrating bipartisanship and I want to start by saying how grateful I am to the many colleagues that I get to work with every single day on issues that matter to American families, and that’s national security, infrastructure and agriculture.
“I’m just really, really proud to tell you what you all know, we got the Paid Family and Medical Leave Employer Tax Credit this year’s reconciliation. It is the nation’s first and only paid family leave policy.”
–Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Democratic Public Service Award
Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)
“Everyone here knows Chrissy and I are from different parties, and we disagree on so many things… but she reminds us that the real progress happens when our leaders have the vision to imagine a better future and outcome, the humility to listen and understand and the courage to advocate for what’s right.”
–Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA)
“We really need now more than ever, what this award embodies and represents, which is bipartisanship and which is basic human needs, the things that we all need to be able to be productive and effective citizens in our country. Most of the country has no idea how much good work actually does happen here in Washington, DC.”
–Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA)
Congressional Staffer Award
Elizabeth Falcone, Chief of Staff to Senator Mark Warner (D-VA)
“I would not be where I am today, in the Senate, in terms of the relationships I’ve built with Members, but also the relationships we’ve built with other states… relationships we’ve built with other staffs without Elizabeth Falcone. She has navigated keeping a staff together where we’ve got legislative assistants that have been on our team for seven or eight, nine years.”
–Senator Mark Warner
“I really love this job. I think everybody who’s in this room knows that working for Congress is one of the coolest things that you can do in your whole life… It made me more curious and more interested in the world. It made me more excited about trying to prop up democracy.”
–Elizabeth Falcone, Chief of Staff to Sen. Mark Warner
Disability Economic Security Award
Microsoft
Accepted by Fred Humphries, Corporate Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs
“Microsoft’s mission is to empower every organization and person on the planet to achieve more… there’s 1.4 billion people that have a disability and they need to be a part of the economic equity… At Microsoft for over at least over 10 years, those who have disabilities receive the same pay as everybody else, and nobody receives anything below a minimum wage, and we’re proud of that.”
–Fred Humphries
“Microsoft has forged career paths to open doors…
Microsoft has shown real leadership in their commitment to create opportunities for people with disabilities.”
–Senator Ted Budd (R-NC)
“Microsoft has been a leader in the transformation to competitive employment act. This is something that is vital for our disability community, and it moves them to a fair wage
for fair work.”
–Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Corporate Leadership Award
Vanessa Broadhurst
Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs, Johnson & Johnson
“Under Vanessa’s leadership, Johnson and Johnson has championed nurses, community health workers, first responders, through J&J CareCommunity, which is a platform that focuses resources of Johnson and Johnson… to improve care so that more communities can thrive.”
–Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL)
“Our honoree tonight is someone… who has found the leverage point in our healthcare in America by focusing on so many of our frontline healthcare providers… She’s used her enormous gifts, not only as a professional in corporate America, but her tremendous gifts as a person, as an American, to bring together so many in the cause that I think is vital to so many communities.”
–Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ)
“This award… embodies Johnson & Johnson’s unwavering commitment to transforming health care for humanity, supporting patients, families and communities by bridging gaps in access to care and advocating for policies that promote health, economic security and well being… The suicide rate amongst nurses and physicians is still twice that of the general public. This underscores where there is such an urgent need to support our healthcare workforce.”
–Vanessa Broadhurst
Bi-PAW-tisan spirit
“For years, Senator Fischer and I have been neighbors on the Hill with our offices right next to each other on the fourth floor. We also have dogs in common, same breed, same size, same color, that are all also very close. If you walk the halls of Congress, you will see Fred and Maple hanging out together in the courtyards, playing.”
–Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
“Senator Gillibrand’s office is right around the corner in Russell. Fred loves Maple. He hears her tag jingle as she goes by the office, and he insists that he must accompany her to the Russell courtyard.”
–Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE)
