Three local Italian American women were recently honored by the National Organization of Italian American Women at a dinner held at Washington’s National Press Club. Diana Femia, President of the greater Washington Region local chapter and newly selected National President of NOIAW welcomed guests. Gemma Puglisi served as the evening’s emcee.
This year’s honorees are Marilyn Concetta Jerome MD, a gynecologist at Sibley Memorial Hospital, Georgetown University Hospital, and George Washington University Hospital; Leah Woodward CFA, Treasurer and Managing Director of Venture Global LNG: and Rising Star, Julia M. Bellotti, PMP, Director of Training and outreach, Tesla Government Inc.
Dr. Jerome was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is the granddaughter of Italian immigrants from Sicily and Abruzzo, who settled in Cleveland. She attended Xavier University and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. She completed her residency at the George Washington University College of Medicine. Dr. Jerome joined Foxhall OB-Gyn Associates, where she has practiced for the past 41 years. She has served on several boards, including the Children of God Relief Fund, the US fundraising arm of the Children of God Relief Institute in Kenya, founded by the late Father Angelo D’Agostino. Dr. Jerome is married to John Foust, a member the Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County for the past 16 years.
Leah Woodward is Treasurer and Managing Director of Venture Global LNG, a U.S. liquified natural gas company constructing multiple projects to provide clean, affordable energy to the world. Woodward has raised nearly $50 billion of capital to build the company’s export projects, which will help accelerate the world’s transition from coal to natural gas, lifting millions out of energy poverty.
In her role, she led the world’s largest project financing and, most recently, the largest project financing ever completed globally, representing more than $21 billion of U.S. investment.
Julia Bellotti, winner of the Rising Star award, is the Director of Training and Outreach at Tesla Government Inc. (not associated with Elon Musk’s Tesla), where she drives community-building strategy and teaches clients worldwide how to use data visualization and knowledge management tools to maximize information sharing. Since moving to D.C. in 2010, Julia has volunteered for the National Organization of Italian American Women. She received a bachelor’s degree in international relations from American University.
