SHRM Virginia & DC is proud to celebrate our 2025 IMPACT Award winners, who were recognized at the recent Leadership Conference. The IMPACT program awards chapters for achievement in six categories:
- I = Increase in Certified Members
- M = Most Improved Membership (DMR Chapters)
- P = Professionals
- A = Advancing the HR Profession
- C = Community Enhancement
- T = Thrive
The 2025 IMPACT Award winners in each category are:
Increase in Certified Members with a 59% increase in 2025
Charlottesville SHRM
Most Improved Membership (DMR Chapters) with a 24% improvement in 2025
Peninsula SHRM
Professionals: This category represents initiatives that support and promote professionals with HR responsibility to be successful business leaders.
Shenandoah Valley SHRM 
Using existing pipelines and creating new ones through research, SVSHRM was able to provide connections with students and established HR professionals to elevate the profession both locally and nationally.
Advancing the HR Profession: This category includes initiatives advancing the HR profession by creating awareness with or supporting key constituents, including workplace, government and regulatory representatives, employers, schools, media, and the community at large.
Blue Ridge Human Resources Association
BRHRA positioned the chapter as a trusted and valued resource for small businesses by sharing practical, real-world HR knowledge. They accomplished this by partnering with a local community college, providing a seasoned panel of board members for the college’s StartUP Entrepreneur class.
Community Enhancement: This category represents initiatives that provide programs and services that support SHRM, meet members’ needs, or further the chapter or state council efforts.
Prince William SHRM
PWSHRM’s Strengthening HR through Volunteer Engagement and Leadership Development program secured this award for 2025. By revitalizing their volunteer program and creating clear pathways for leadership development, PWSHRM builds a stronger, more engaged HR community where individuals are empowered to contribute, grow, and lead. They started by establishing a Volunteer Recruitment Committee. They launched a membership survey to gauge volunteer interest followed by outreach efforts, including in-person events, targeted emails, and a virtual event. They also implemented post-event surveys to gain valuable insights into member experiences, and help identify potential volunteers. Their results were numerous, including increasing dual membership, having 6 active committees, and identifying 5 future board members.
Thrive: This category allows chapters to tell the story of how they overcame challenges this year.
DC SHRM 
DC SHRM’s efforts to increase community partnership engagement directly advanced their mission to build a more inclusive, visible, and impactful HR community. They cultivated relationships with non-profits, universities, government entities, and local organizations. This allowed for fresh perspectives, new members, and collaborative opportunities that strengthened the chapter’s programming and visibility. Key partnerships developed meaningful impact through their commitment to caregiver wellness and inclusive engagement as well as a student literacy initiative focused on empowering youth education and equity.
SHRM Virginia & DC’s IMPACT award program is a great way to recognize the meaning contributions our chapters make to local communities every day. SHRM Virginia & DC hosts quarterly best practices calls for idea-sharing opportunities among chapter leaders. We are so proud of the accomplishments of our chapters in 2025, and we can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for us!
