Dr. Arvenita W. Cherry, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at Maximus, has won WashingtonExec’s 2022 Pinnacle Award for DE&I Industry Executive of the Year, Public Company.
WashingtonExec on Nov. 30 unveiled the winners of the Pinnacle Awards, an annual program that embodies the WashingtonExec spirit of highlighting successful executives and businesses saving money and fostering innovation for federal clients across the region. Nearly 525 attendees gathered for the in-person luncheon held at the Ritz Carlton in McLean, Virginia.
Along with the government and industry winners, Attain Partners Founder, Chairman and CEO Greg Baroni was honored with the 2022 Pinnacle Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for his illustrious career and celebrated contributions to the community. Mac Curtis, chairman of the board for Veritas Capital-backed Cubic Corp., was the emcee.
In her finalist Q+A, Cherry attributes her success to her parents, her training and experiences and others supporting her in this work.
“I acknowledge my parents because they instilled the meaning of social justice, the importance of advocacy and education, and how to create spaces of solidarity to accomplish change together,” she said. “My training and experiences as an educator and anthropologist and being grounded in the important history and people’s unique stories, have really informed my approach to educating others, designing programs, leading teams, and ensuring people around me are part of this DE&I journey and feel supported in making change within their own spheres of influence.”