Past Finalists

 

Meet Our Past Finalists!

Every mom nominated is a winner in our book, but only a handful make it to the finalist round and only one will win the annual award. Here’s a glimpse at the wide variety of amazing women who’ve made it to the finalist round in the past.

2023 Finalists

	Corey Colwell-Lipson
	Corey founded Green Halloween when she realized she felt dread when holidays approached because they were such significant events that she had little control over in regards to living healthier. Read her story.
	Florence Williams
	After testing her breast milk for toxins, her first-person story was published in the New York Times Magazine, and then became the basis for her 2023 book,BREASTS: A Natural and Unnatural History, which looks at how modern life changed breasts and breast health. Read her story.
	Katy Perry
	To help her daughter and all asthma sufferers breathe more freely, Katy is on a mission to reduce air pollution through her work as Director of Programs for the non-profit organization, the Green Schools Alliance. Read her story.
	JoAnne Hammermaster
	JoAnne Hammermaster is on a mission to up the quality of food in Fairfax County, Virginia, the 11th largest school district in the county with nearly 182,000 kids in 196 schools. Read her story.
	Lori Popkewitz-Alper
	After two of her kids were diagnosed with life-threatening food allergies, Lori became an advocate for children’s health. Her petition asking Tide to remove a potential carcinogen from their detergents succeeded when Tide agreed to drastically reduce levels of 1,4-dioxane. Read her story.
	Linda Gillick
	Linda Gillick, Founder of Oceans of love,  started the organization 1988 by helping 12 families, and to date they have helped more than 450 children. Through the organization, Linda lends emotional, spiritual, and financial support to the families burdened by this dreadful disease. Read her story.
	Jeanne Conry
	Jeanne is an obstetrician gynecologist who helps educate her community about dangers of environmental toxins through her medical practice and professional groups. Read her story.
	Dana Nachman
	Dana is a documentary filmmaker whose latest film, The Human Experiment, explores the fight to protect our children from toxic products. Read her story.

2023 Finalists

	Andrea Pett-Joseph
	Andrea is committed to protecting the health of the planet and our children, as well as to bringing awareness and finding a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa or EB, a rare, painful and life threatening genetic disorder of the skin that has affected her eight-year old son from birth. Watch her video.
	Martha Sanchez
	Martha Sanchez, mother of three, mobilized her community to close a toxic manufacturing plant, learned English to attend college and pursue a law degree, and is currently working on an affordable housing project for more than 500 families including job training and health care. Watch her video.
	Angie Nordstrum
	On the heels of a cancer diagnosis, Angie learned she was pregnant. Soon after, her son was born and diagnosed with life-threatening allergies. But, that was just the beginning of her fight. Later, she learned that “fracking” threatened her son’s school and the health of her community, so she mounted an effort to fight that, too. Watch her video.
	Bettina Elias Siegel
	Bettina Elias Siegel started a petition asking the USDA to ban the use of finely textured beef (commonly known as “pink slime”) in the beef destined for school food. Within nine days, the petition topped 200,000 signatures and effectively forced the USDA to change its policy and allow schools to choose ground beef without the ammonia-treated filler. Watch her story.
	Kiddada Green
	Kiddada Green founded Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Association (BMBFA), an organization that strives to improve breastfeeding rates. She’s led the organization’s many accomplishments including: Black Mothers’ Breastfeeding Club, breastfeeding advocacy in the community, and outreach initiatives. Watch her story.
	Hannah Pingree
	Hannah is the former Speaker of the House for Maine. She promoted regulations to limit toxic chemicals and convinced her fellow lawmakers that choosing between the chemical industry and kids’ health was a no-brainer. In the end, she passed bills with near unanimous support from Republicans and Democrats. Watch her story.
	Heather Donatini
	Heather is dedicated to changing the food industry and bringing awareness to moms about the food we feed our children. She started the “BumbleBee Foundation,” a non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting families battling pediatric cancer. Heather’s key focus with the foundation is educating families about what is in the food we eat every day. Watch her story.