For the second year, the League of Women Voters of Falls Church presented the Community Impact Award at its Annual Meeting in June. 

The Community Impact Award honors innovation, leadership, and sustained service by an individual whose contributions tend to go unrecognized. The award emphasizes measurable results and a positive influence on the City of Falls Church. Further details on the criteria for the award are included in the attached form.

Please use this online form to submit future nominations for this award: Community Impact Award Form

Sally was chosen for this award to recognize her long record of community activism, including service as a member and as chair of the Falls Church City School Board; as member, president and corresponding secretary of the Citizens for a Better City (CBC); as Falls Church Elementary PTA president; and as the lead organizer of the activities of the Women's History Group and its Women's History Walk. In each of these endeavors, Sally has made significant contributions to Falls Church City and has improved the quality of life in our community.

The Women's History Walk debuted in 2017 through the efforts of Nikki Graves Henderson of the Tinner Hill Foundation and City Council Member Marybeth Connelly to highlight local women's history during Women's History Month. As a key leader in the Women's History Group, Sally has consistently led the efforts to produce successful Women's History Walks. These events involved myriad challenging preparations such as the selection and notification of honorees, the development and placement of educational signs, and the arrangements for docents and greeters. Sally also helped to put the Women's History Group on a sound financial footing by cementing its 501(c)(3) status and successfully soliciting donations.

In her various leadership roles with the CBC, Sally has played a key part in programs of great benefit to our community. Sally participated in the working group that developed the "Candidate Integrity Pledge," which asks candidates for local office to commit to campaign transparency, civility and accountability.

Sally has also helped develop and shape the Youth Representative Program, which places City high school students in internships with City Boards, Commissions or civic organizations. The Falls Church League has greatly benefited from the contributions of the Youth Representatives placed with our organization over the last several years.

Sally's work with the CBC has also included leading forums on how to run for local office. Last year, Sally helped to foster the collaboration between CBC and LWVFC on a program entitled "How to Be a Candidate for Local Office," which featured a panel of previous candidates for City Council and School Board who described the campaign process and lessons learned from running a campaign.

These are just a few highlights of Sally's many contributions to the City. Sally was born in Quantico, Virginia, and traveled widely with her Marine Corps family. Sally says that she "never had a real home town until I moved to Falls Church in 1979, and obviously, I have never wanted to leave!" Sally received a degree in Russian Studies from Mary Washington College in 1976. Her professional experiences include work as a senior executive assistant, event planner and property manager. She has a daughter and two sons.  In addition to the activities listed above, she has also volunteered as a cub scout leader and a Sunday school teacher. She also served as the chair of the Falls

Church City Public Schools Calendar Committee for 20 years.

Renee Bergmann Andrews was selected for this award in recognition of the enormous contribution she has made to ensuring fair, secure, accurate and orderly elections in the City of Falls Church and promoting voter registration and participation in the electoral process. 

Renee served as a member of the City of Falls Church Electoral Board from 2003 through 2025. As part of her duties, she was responsible for recruiting and providing training to the Officers of Election who staff the polls and ensure fair elections every year in our City. She helped guide the Electoral Board through the challenging years of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many new Officers of Election had to be recruited to replace those who could not serve due to the risk of exposure to the virus. 

Renee also helped the City's electoral process adjust seamlessly to many new laws and procedures, such as same day voter registration and changes to voter ID requirements. As concerns about the security of elections began to be raised, Renee, along with Director of Elections & General Registrar of Voters David Bjerke, took part in public forums to explain how the electoral system works and to reassure citizens about the security and integrity of our elections. 

Renee has also been a frequent volunteer at LWV voter registration events, sharing her expertise to encourage as many citizens as possible to have their voices heard by casting their ballots. She has also served as a resource to LWV Falls Church, carefully reviewing and ensuring the accuracy of the information on the electoral process that we provide in our publications.

In addition to her excellent work within the City of Falls Church, Renee has also promoted electoral integrity through her service as a past president and treasurer of the Virginia Electoral Board Association and as a member of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Election Officials Technical Committee. She has also contributed to the Virginia Department of Elections General Registrar and Electoral Board Workgroup and has been Virginia's local government representative on the National Standards Board of the Election Assistance Commission. Through her work, Renee clearly embodies the League's mission of "making democracy work."

Prior to her retirement, Renee was as a corporate financial analyst, working at Xerox, Sallie Mae, The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure , and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Renee and her husband Bill have lived in Falls Church City since 1986. They have raised a daughter and three sons, all graduates of the Falls Church City Public Schools. They are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren, who live in California, Virginia, and South Carolina.