October 28, 2026
6:00-9:00 p.m.
Capital Turnaround
700 M St SE, Washington, DC 20003

Dress Code: Business/Cocktail Attire

Tickets & Sponsorships    Sponsorship Benefits

Meet Our Honorees

Each of our honorees has played a pivotal role in shaping, strengthening, and sustaining Higher Achievement. We are grateful for the opportunity to honor their contributions.

Bathsheba Philpott

Bathsheba Philpott, CFRE, is president and principal consultant of Fundraising Guru Consulting LLC, where she partners with nonprofit organizations to strengthen fundraising strategy, build philanthropic partnerships, and expand their impact. With more than 20 years of experience in advancement, she has helped organizations design development strategies and secure transformational philanthropic support. Bathsheba’s connection to Higher Achievement is deeply personal. As a former Higher Achievement scholar and later a mentor in Ward 4, she experienced firsthand how the program builds confidence, academic strength, and leadership in young people—creating pathways of opportunity that can shape a lifetime.

Charlie Mullin

Charlie Mullin is a PhD economist at Bates White who has researched child development in socio-economically challenged communities. When a colleague introduced him to Higher Achievement two decades ago, it was a perfect fit. Charlie was struck by the combination of academics, social mentorship, and leadership skills that level the playing field for scholars, enabling them to graduate college at three-times the rate of their peers. Charlie is a long-standing champion of our Bates White partnership for volunteers and career exposure. In addition, he is a landmark supporter of our endowment, a fiduciary board member, and an advisor on Higher Achievement’s financial strategy.

Stacy Dranginis

Stacy Dranginis grew up in Prince George’s County and attended Duke University, where she volunteered as a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, establishing for her the importance and impact of mentorship. Her twenty-year involvement with Higher Achievement spans service on the President’s Council, the 50th Anniversary Committee, and, currently, the DC Metro Advisory Board. Her most personally significant role has been as a mentor at the newly opened Greenbelt Center in 2019, allowing her to witness firsthand the dedication of the extraordinary staff, the academic and personal growth of the scholars, and the magic that happens there.

Going Places 2026 Leadership