On October 14, Gov. Tom Wolf and First Lady Frances Wolf recognized 11 women as this year’s Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania, highlighting their extraordinary achievements and contributions to the Commonwealth at an event at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg on Wednesday.

Among the honorees is Caren Glotfelty who has worked to conserve, protect and improve the environment for nature and people for more than 50 years.

She most recently served as the Executive Director of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, where she is a strong partner with Allegheny County government to maintain the county parks system as a world-class asset for southwestern Pennsylvania.

Her past professional positions include Environment Program Director for The Heinz Endowments, Maurice K. Goddard Chair in Environmental Resource Conservation at The Pennsylvania State University and Deputy Secretary for Water Management in the Pennsylvania Department Environmental Resources under Gov. Bob Casey.

She co-chaired the 21st Century Environment Commission under Gov. Tom Ridge.

She has served on the boards of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Clearwater Conservancy. She received a master’s degree in Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania.

She has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement In Conservation Award by the Women In Conservation Awards Program, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western Pennsylvania Environmental Awards and the PA Parks & Forests Legacy Award.

“Pennsylvania Distinguished Daughters have a long history of going above and beyond to lead in tough times and find ways to meet the needs they see in their communities,” said Governor Wolf. “The Commonwealth is proud to claim each of these women as our own, as each of their stories reflect Pennsylvania’s rich past and herald the promise of a bright future.”

“The last few years have been challenging ones for Pennsylvania, and for the world. It takes a special brand of courage and determination to step up and take on the mantle of leadership in times like this,” said First Lady Wolf. “These women have shown that leadership, determination, and steadfastness and have made our Commonwealth a better place.”

Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania was first instituted under Governor James H. Duff in October of 1949 to honor women who have shown distinguished service through a professional career and/or voluntary service.

The women are nominated to receive the honor by nonprofit organizations within Pennsylvania. They do not need to be natives of Pennsylvania but must have lived in the Commonwealth at some point.

Since the first group was named in 1949, over 500 women have been recognized as Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania.  There are approximately 200 Distinguished Daughters living today. The last class of Distinguished Daughters was inducted in 2019.

Click Here for the complete announcement.

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[Posted: October 14, 2022]

10/17/2022