Walthour Selected for Achievement Award
Dr. Janice Walthour has been named by the St. Mary’s County Commission for Women as the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Each year, the commission honors an outstanding St. Mary’s County woman who exemplifies dedication and support of her community. Dr. Walthour will received the honor at the annual Women’s History Month Banquet on March 15, 2018.
The theme for the banquet will be “Nevertheless She Persisted: Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms of Discrimination Against Women,” and it is a perfect fit for Dr. Walthour. She is a life-long St. Mary’s County resident and is known for working hard and supporting the community. The retired educator worked in St. Mary’s County Public Schools for 36 years as a teacher, resource teacher, assistant principal, principal, and coordinator of academic intervention programs. Dr. Walthour is serving now as the president of the St. Mary’s County Branch NAACP No. 7025 and she also chairs the education committee.
Dr. Walthour has been involved with the NAACP for more than 40 years, where she facilitates bi-annual meetings with the SMCPS superintendent of schools and speaks at St. Mary’s County Board of Education meetings and public hearings on topics like eliminating disparities in achievement and behavior consequences that are known to exist between races and socio-economic levels in the school system. Because of her leadership, the NAACP advocates persistently for diversity in staffing at SMCPS. She is also an active facilitator for the NAACP’s annual Southern Maryland College and Career Fair, which features Historically Black Colleges, universities and local colleges.
Dr. Walthour has always been passionate about standing up to fight discrimination. This strong woman refuses to be silenced; she fights for and succeeds in bringing positive change to women in St. Mary’s County through her active engagement in the county. She also serves on the St. Mary’s County Library Board of Trustees and the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association Board of Directors. She also was on the College of Southern Maryland Board of Trustees for nine years.
Dr. Walthour is past president and is now a member of the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions, mission of which is to document, increase the understanding of, and foster African-American contributions to the history and development of the county, while it advocates for improvements in health, education, and community building for all citizens.
This is not Dr. Walthour’s first time being recognized for her work. The Commission for Women recognized her as Woman of the Year in 2014.
In addition to honoring Dr. Walthour, the Commission for Women will also present awards to the Woman of the Year and the Woman of Tomorrow at the Women’s History Month Banquet in March. Nominations are now being accepted for these honors. To access nomination forms, go to the St. Mary’s County Commission for Women website. The banquet is open to the public.
The St. Mary’s County Commission for Women is a volunteer-run committee appointed by the county commissioners. Its mission is to celebrate and support the county’s women through outreach, advocacy, and service, to secure an equitable community for all.
To learn more about Lexington Park, visit the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation’s Leader member page.
St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation
46940 South Shangri-La Drive, Suite 7
Lexington Park, MD 20653
301-863-7700
