We're so thrilled to be presenting Carol Trawick with YAA’s 2022 Mentorship Award this Sunday at our presentation of AIDA. Past YAA Mentorship Awardees have included Stephen Schwartz and Eliot Pfanstiehl. From YAA’s earliest days, Carol Trawick and The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation have been instrumental to our organization’s growth.
Carol was YAA’s very first mentor. After meeting Rolando and Kristofer Sanz, she became a true believer in their vision of bringing transformative, innovative, and inclusive performing arts opportunities to the youth in our community.
Carol took a fledgling YAA under her wing, and literally gave us a home— providing office space, advice, encouragement, and key introductions. Her generosity continues to this day. The Trawick Foundation provides annual support for student scholarships to YAA’s Summer Performing Arts Intensives.
Learn More About Carol
Thirty-three years ago, Carol and Jim Trawick started Trawick and Associates, an information technology company that provided IT support services to over 60,000 end users in the federal government. The Trawicks sold the company in November, 2006, and established the Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to assist local health and human service and arts non-profit organizations to reach more people in need and to encourage and sustain creative activities. The Foundation has awarded grants to over 90 Montgomery County, MD, non-profits, many receiving multiple grants.
Carol has served the community in which her family, her former business, and now the Foundation have resided. She served as Board Chair of numerous organizations such as the Maryland State Arts Council, Strathmore Music Center, the B-CC Chamber of Commerce, the B-CC Rotary Club, the Glen Echo Park Foundation, the Bethesda Urban Partnership, and the Bethesda Arts and Entertainment District.
Carol was named the Leadership Montgomery 2004 Leader of the Year, the Gazette 2006 Business Leader of the Year, the InterfaithWorks 2009 Humanitarian of the Year, a 2010 Washingtonian of the Year, the 2010 Montgomery County Philanthropist of the Year, the 2010 County Executive Lifetime Impact Award, the Roscoe R. Nix 2013 Distinguished Community Leadership Award, and was elected to the 2012 Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame.
A former teacher and high school assistant principal, Carol is especially supportive of programs that benefit youth. The Trawick Foundation focuses on innovative grant making strategies with its annual TeamUp Award. This award requires nonprofits to collaborate with schools on programs for middle school age youth and ninth graders, that will help keep youth connected during their transitional years. Also, Carol initiated and funds 2 art awards for the MD, VA and DC region: The Trawick Prize for Contemporary Art and the Painting Awards.