Trailblazing Judge Marie White Bell was honored with nine other standout women leaders and achievers during the Outstanding Women of Burlington County Awards on Sept. 17.
The annual event is hosted by the county commissioners and its Women’s Advisory Council to shine a spotlight on exceptional women in a variety of fields.
Bell, the first Black municipal court judge in both Burlington and Camden counties and the first Black woman to serve as a Superior Court judge in the former, was honored in the category of law. She spent 19 years on the bench and was the first African American woman on the Willingboro Township council and the first Black woman to serve as mayor.
The judge was also a founding member of the advisory council.
Other award recipients included leaders in business, community service, education and public safety. The winners are:
Mariel Giletto, a top attorney and the chair of the Rancocas Woods Business Association in Mount Laurel, received the business leadership award.
Pastor Darlene Trappier, founder and executive director of Beacon of Hope, a Mount Holly-based nonprofit that provides food assistance and other help to homeless people, got the community service award.
Malikah Morris, deputy director of the Burlington County Department of Human Services and chair of the county’s Minority and Equality Rights Task Force, received her award for contributions to diversity and inclusion.
Dr. Carol Birnbohm, superintendent of the Lenape Regional High School District, received the education award.
Christina Bieri, a school resource officer in the Burlington Township Police Department, received the award for the contributions of a first responder or member of law enforcement.
Dionne Bolden, acting director of recreation and parks for Willingboro, took the award for government service.
Connie Garrano, nurse at the Burlington County Special Services School in Westampton, received the award for health care.
Lisa Fox-Pfeiffer, executive director of the Burlington County Historical Society, received the award for humanities.
Retired Army SFC Constance Cotton, an outspoken advocate for area veterans, received the award for military and veterans’ service.
