PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — On Saturday, May 19th, the Maryland Republican Party honored Judy MacWilliams
(pictured at left) of Owings as the Republican Woman of the Year during its annual awards luncheon at the Spring Convention held in Annapolis. Former Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele keynoted the luncheon.
Judy serves as the Secretary of the Calvert County Republican Party Central Committee. She is the immediate past president of the Republican Women Leaders of Calvert (RWLC), and a member of the Maryland Federation of Republican Women (MFRW), where she also serves as the editor of the MFRW’s Trumpeter Newsletter. She served as former Governor Robert Ehrlich’s Campaign Director in Calvert County, getting prime sign locations throughout the county and organizing countless phone banks and door to door canvassing efforts.
According to the Republican Party, Judy’s leadership won Governor Ehrlich over 57% of the vote in Calvert County against a strong Democratic opponent at a time when Republican voter turnout everywhere was depressed. Judy and her husband of 44 years, Richard, worked throughout the 2006 election campaign to help win votes for all local Republican candidates. Both have deep roots in southern Maryland; Judy was born in St. Mary’s County, and Richard's family settled there when he was a youngster. Judy retired from The Calverton School in 2005 and currently is working on a book that spans three generations of family recipes and stories. Judy and Richard have three children and seven grandchildren.
In recognizing Judy and the other awardees at the luncheon, Maryland Republican Party Chairman James Pelura stated, “All of these awardees deserve our praise and admiration. Their contributions in the last year have been nothing short of exceptional, and I know we will continue to see great things from them in the years to come.”
At Calvert County’s recent Lincoln Day Dinner which featured former Governor Robert Ehrlich, Jr. as the guest speaker, Barbara Burton of Prince Frederick and Ron Miller of Huntingtown were honored as the Republican Woman and Man of the Year for Calvert County.
Barbara is a currently a member of the Republican Club of Calvert County, Republican Women of Calvert County (RWCC), the Republican Women Leaders of Calvert (RWLC), and the Maryland Federation of Republican Women (MFRW). Barbara has a long and distinguished record of service to the GOP dating back to her teenage years in Pennsylvania.
She was elected to the Calvert County Republican Central Committee in 1998, and served as its chairman from 2001 to 2003 and its vice chairman from 2004 to 2005. She is former member of the board of directors for the Calvert County League of Republican Women which preceded the RWCC, the RWCC, and the Republican Club of Calvert County. She is also a current council member of the Patuxent View Community Association (PVCA), where she has served for eight years, including five years as the treasurer. Barbara chaired the PVCA Night Out program in 2005 and 2006. She is a member of the Red Hat Society and a Notary Public in good standing with the state of Maryland.
Barbara and her husband, Allen, moved to Calvert County in 1976, and she is the bookkeeper for Allen’s company, Burton's Painting Service. They have two children, both of whom reside in Calvert County, five grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Ron serves as the communications director for the Calvert County Republican Central Committee. Although he has been a Republican since college, Ron was new to the Calvert County GOP in 2006. He committed himself in a major way, however, agreeing to run as a candidate for the U.S. Congress in the 5th Congressional District which includes Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s County, and portions of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s County.
The Baltimore Sun called Ron “a promising newcomer” and his campaign caught the attention of then-Governor Ehrlich, who personally requested that Ron set his sights instead on the Maryland Senate seat held by Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller. Despite a late start and limited funding, Ron received nearly 44% of the vote in Calvert County, an impressive showing for a first-time candidate running against a 32-year incumbent widely regarded as the most powerful person in Maryland politics.
Ron is a senior director at the national headquarters of the American Red Cross and also served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force, technology executive in the private sector, and senior executive in the Bush Administration with the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Small Business Administration. He and his wife of over 22 years, Annik, have three children.
Source: Calvert County Republican Central Committee