2026 Annual Awards Dinner Honorees

This year, Younity presents the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award to Amna Nawaz, recognizing a journalist whose work powerfully aligns with the values at the heart of our mission: protecting those most vulnerable to abuse, elevating lived experience, and strengthening public understanding through truth and accountability.

Amna Nawaz is the co-anchor and co-managing editor of PBS NewsHour, and an award-winning journalist widely respected for reporting that brings clarity, humanity, and depth to complex and often painful issues. Throughout her career, she has examined domestic and intimate partner violence not as isolated acts, but as part of broader systems—legal, cultural, and institutional—that can either protect survivors or place them at further risk.

A defining thread in Nawaz’s reporting is her focus on how survivors of abuse are treated by systems meant to ensure safety and justice. She has reported extensively on the criminalization of survivors, bringing national attention to the reality that an estimated 70 to 80 percent of women in U.S. prisons are survivors of domestic violence. Through interviews and investigative reporting, she has shown how trauma frequently goes unrecognized within the criminal legal system—and how women are often incarcerated for actions rooted in survival, coercion, or self-protection rather than criminal intent.

Nawaz has also investigated abuse within military institutions, including her reporting on the case of Blaine McGraw, an Army Major and OB-GYN formerly stationed at Fort Hood and in Hawaiʻi. Nawaz spoke to five women who had been abused by McGraw in one of the largest sexual abuse scandals in U.S. military history. Her reporting centered survivor voices while exposing systemic failures that prevented reporting, accountability, and safety. That work highlighted how power, hierarchy, and institutional silence can compound harm for victims seeking help.

PBS News Hour’s reporting further explores the intersection of domestic violence and public policy and examines how restrictions on reproductive health care can increase danger for people experiencing abuse. Nawaz notes that pregnancy and the period immediately following childbirth are among the most lethal times in abusive relationships. She has also covered court rulings that weakened federal protections preventing individuals under domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms—decisions with serious implications for survivor safety. Internationally, she has investigated efforts to narrow asylum protections for survivors of domestic and sexual violence seeking refuge in the United States.

Across this body of work, Nawaz consistently centers lived experience while holding systems accountable. Her journalism reflects a deep respect for survivors and a belief that public awareness is essential to meaningful change—values that directly echo the vision of Barbara Boggs Sigmund, Younity’s founder, who believed that domestic violence must be confronted openly and that communities share responsibility for protecting those most vulnerable to abuse.

Nathalie S. Nelson, CEO and President of Younity, shares,
“Amna Nawaz’s work brings visibility to issues that are too often overlooked or misunderstood. By bringing lived experiences into policy conversations, she helps people understand what these issues mean in real life for individuals and families. This kind of reporting not only informs, but it also has the power to influence how communities respond and how systems evolve.”

In honoring Amna Nawaz, Younity recognizes a journalist whose work exemplifies the purpose of the Barbara Boggs Sigmund Award: using one’s voice and platform to bring hidden harm into the light, challenge injustice, and help create safer, more informed communities.

We are proud to recognize Tina Karkera as the recipient of the Edwin W. Schmierer Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service.

For the past five years, Tina has served as a trained advocate on Younity’s Response Team in Mercer County, providing support to victim-survivors of domestic and sexual violence during moments of crisis. Whether responding to a sexual assault call at a hospital late at night or helping a domestic violence victim understand their options during an uncertain first step at one of our local police departments, Tina brings calm, compassion, and reassurance when it is needed most.

A lawyer by profession, Tina serves as Senior Counsel for Chubb’s Personal Risk Services for North America. She is a graduate of the University of Florida and American University’s Washington College of Law.

Early in life, Tina wanted to be a prosecutor working on domestic violence and child abuse cases. During high school, she volunteered at a rape crisis center, helping with tasks at the local safe house and watching the children of the safe house while their mothers were in counseling. In college, she interned with Washington, D.C.’s Office of the Corporation Counsel, the district’s equivalent of a state attorney’s office, working on child abuse and neglect cases.

Although her professional path ultimately led her into corporate and insurance law, the desire to support victim-survivors never left. When Younity began offering advocate training virtually during the pandemic, Tina seized the opportunity to finally become involved.

Through her work with Younity, Tina has seen firsthand how violence affects far more than the individuals directly involved.

“People often think of this kind of violence as a private family matter to be handled quietly, but the effects ripple outward. It shows up in our schools with children who may be acting out, or in our workplaces with friends or colleagues who may be isolating themselves and aren’t engaged. When people are harmed in what is supposed to be their sanctuary, their home, they take that trauma with them outside the home. That’s why communities have such an important role in supporting victim-survivors.”

She also believes many people underestimate how common these experiences are.

“If we believe the statistics, and I do, every one of us knows someone who has experienced domestic or sexual violence, even if we don’t realize it.”

That belief shapes how Tina approaches her volunteer work. Even when the calls come late at night or the situations are emotionally difficult, she believes the most important thing an advocate can offer is their presence.

“Sometimes just showing up makes a difference,” Tina says. “Someone has been through one of the worst moments of their lives and they’ve taken the brave step to say ‘help me.’ In those moments, being there so they feel less alone matters.”

Nathalie S. Nelson, CEO and President, shares, “Tina represents the very best of what it means to be a volunteer advocate. She shows up with compassion, consistency, and a deep respect for every person she serves. In moments that can feel overwhelming or uncertain, her presence brings reassurance and support when it is needed most.”

The Edwin W. Schmierer Award honors individuals whose volunteer service reflects quiet leadership and enduring commitment. Tina embodies that spirit through her dedication to supporting victim-survivors and strengthening the community around them.

We look forward to celebrating Tina on May 28 at Trenton Country Club.