U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is the eighth recipient of the annual Valerie Biden Owens Woman of Power and Purpose Award presented by the Biden Institute in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. The award recognizes one woman each year whose transformational leadership makes a difference in Delaware and beyond.

Purpose in action

Article by Meghan Keating Photos by Evan Krape March 12, 2026

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth receives the Valerie Biden Owens Woman of Power and Purpose Award

When U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth passes through an airport and sees a lactation room, she’s reminded that she is making a difference in the lives of women.

One of her many accomplishments in office, the bipartisan Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act — now a law — ensures mothers have access to safe, clean and accessible lactation rooms at airports.

“[The FAM Act] is one of those that I when I'm really down and depressed, and it feels like I'm banging my head against the wall, I'll go to the airport, and I'll see [a lactation room], like, ‘Okay, I am making a difference. It's worth getting out and doing that,’” she said.

This month, Duckworth was honored as the eighth recipient of the annual Valerie Biden Owens Woman of Power and Purpose Award presented by the Biden Institute in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration at the University of Delaware. The award recognizes one woman each year whose transformational leadership makes a difference in Delaware and beyond. Each year, a ceremony is held to celebrate the chosen honoree, highlighting her accomplishments and inspiring the next generation of women at UD.

An Iraq War Veteran, Sen. Duckworth was one of the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Duckworth, a Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, joined Biden Institute Chair and award namesake Valerie Biden Owens on UD’s main campus in Newark to discuss her military background, public service work and advice for others looking to make a difference.

“I’m honored to be recognized as a woman whose leadership and service has helped inspire others and make our nation stronger,” Duckworth said. “From the day my helicopter was shot down to the ongoing work I’m doing to help Illinois families, there’s not a thing I would change.”

Pictured left to right: UD Biden Institute Interim Executive Director Jonathan Sheehan, U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Army National Guard Major General James Benson, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Biden Institute Chair Valerie Biden Owens, Delaware Army National Guard Colonel Hyma Leatham, UD President Laura Carlson, Delaware Army National Guard Major General Francis Vavala (Ret.)

Making a difference

An Iraq War Veteran, the senator was one of the first Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. After two terms serving Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, Duckworth was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016.

As chair of the Senate’s Aviation Safety Subcommittee, Duckworth was instrumental in moving the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Law through Congress in 2024, penning several key provisions, including one for enhancing consumer protections for travelers with disabilities.

During the program’s Q&A portion, when asked for her thoughts on how universities and workplaces can better support veterans and people with disabilities pursuing leadership roles, Duckworth was adamant that access is the top priority.

Following her conversation onstage with Valerie Biden Owens, Sen. Duckworth took student questions from the audience.

“It’s still access,” she said, acknowledging the marathonic — however rewarding — nature of advocacy work, even once you’ve made it to Capitol Hill. “There are two parts of the Senate I can't get to. I just got automatic doors put on the floors of the Senate chamber, and it took nine years. The access part is important. Sometimes you have to create a seat at the table so that people can actually take that place.”

And when it comes to becoming more involved in one’s own community, Duckworth believes that any step forward, no matter the size, makes a difference.

“Maybe it is working on your library board of trustees,” she said. “You don't have to run for the United States Senate. Maybe it's volunteering at a local soup kitchen. It's just doing something, because without that, we don't have a community. We don't have a shared sense of responsibility for one another.”

Progress is progress, no matter the specifications, Duckworth said.

“I encourage every young girl and grown woman with a passion for service to be bold, take that next right step and go make a difference in your community,” she said.

Duckworth joins the ranks of previous awardees, including former First Lady of Delaware Tracey Quillen Carney (2024); Nancy Pelosi, Speaker Emerita (2023); Desa Burton, executive director of ZipCode Wilmington (2022); Opal Lee, Grandmother of Juneteenth (2021); Tamika Montgomery Reeves, former Delaware Supreme Court Justice (2020); Sally Yates, former Deputy Attorney General (2019); and Ashley Biden, former Director of the Delaware Center for Justice (2018).

Among those in attendance to celebrate Duckworth were UD President Laura Carlson, Delaware State Rep. Mara Gorman, current and former Adjutant General of the Delaware Army National Guard, Majors General James Benson and Francis Vavala, U.S. Senator Chris Coons, and a special audio appearance via phone call by former U.S. President and UD alumnus Joe Biden.