President McGuire is one of 10 leaders honored in the education category of Washingtonian’s list of women shaping government, business, the arts, law, media, and nonprofits.

WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2026 – Trinity Washington University President Patricia McGuire has been named to Washingtonian’s 2026 list of the Most Powerful Women in Washington. The list, published online September 30 and featured in the magazine’s October issue, honors 300 leaders shaping government, business, education, media, and nonprofits across the region. President McGuire is featured in the Education Powers category as one of 10 education leaders.

Read the full list at Washingtonian.com

“Trinity educates powerful women for a wide range of professional and civic leadership roles,” said President Patricia McGuire. “I am honored to be on the Washingtonian list as the representative of thousands of powerful Trinity Women!”

With McGuire at the helm, Trinity has distinguished itself among historically Catholic women’s colleges as an innovative, future-focused institution. Today, Trinity is a Predominantly Black Institution and a Hispanic-Serving Institution, and its example of adapting to serve the students who need a college education most is one that other universities look to. Trinity has also drawn recognition for its emphasis on undergraduate research, including student publications and conference presentations, including recently by the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students (ABRCMS), which the university highlights and celebrates as part of its academic culture.

Washingtonian previously honored McGuire in 2017, noting, “Thanks to her leadership, Trinity became the only private university to offer programs in DC’s underserved neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.” In 2013 they noted, “McGuire not only has rebuilt a small Catholic college into an innovative mecca for students of all ages and backgrounds; she now offers programs for DC’s underserved communities,” and in 2015 they noted, “Trinity attracts students of all backgrounds and ages—though 95 percent of its undergraduates are women—with classes on the main campus in Northeast DC and in Anacostia.”

McGuire was also recognized in the 2006, 2009, and 2011 iterations. This consistent recognition highlights Trinity’s leadership in higher education, its regional influence, and its nearly 130-year mission of advancing women’s education.

“President McGuire is a visionary and fierce advocate whose transformative work for Trinity has championed educational equity and social justice,” said Dr. Karen Geralch, Trinity Vice President of Student Affairs. “She has deeply empowered me and generations of women leaders, and this recognition is a well-deserved celebration of her unparalleled leadership in higher education.”

Provost Carlota Ocampo has worked alongside President McGuire for nearly three decades at Trinity, and was not surprised by the recognition.

“I can imagine no professional experience more fulfilling than working with President McGuire over the past 30 years or so in a variety of academic capacities,” said Ocampo. “Her genuine commitment to the education and development of Washington, DC students and the empowerment of local communities through partnerships and intellectual exchange is consistent and unmatched.”

Thomas Mostowy joined Trinity in 2008, and is now the Dean of the School of Professional and Graduate Studies.

“While many in higher education, and society in general, look to the past to find lost glory, President McGuire instead found a way to honor Trinity’s mission by looking to the future and a significantly radically different vision of what it meant to offer opportunity in higher education to previously underserved communities,” said Mostowy.

President McGuire hasn’t only helmed the scholastic growth of the university, but its physical growth as well. During her tenure, the university opened two brand new buildings, The Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports which provides fitness classes and facilities to the local community, as well as the cutting edge Payden Academic Center, a LEED Silver-Certified building and home to many of Trinity’s most advanced science, technology and healthcare programs. McGuire’s Trinity is also overseeing the more than $50 million restoration and modernization of the 100-year-old historic Alumnae Hall.

President McGuire has served on a number of boards serving the educational and social justice interests of the people in metropolitan Washington D.C. and beyond, including the Consortium of Universities, Cafritz Foundation, Catholic Charities DC, Faith in the Future Foundation, United Educators, the American Council on Education, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, the Meyer Foundation, the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region, and numerous other organizations.

Provost Ocampo believes the honor is well earned, “President McGuire is most deserving of this recognition for her leadership, service, and moral courage, which has impacted so many lives and will reverberate far into the future.”

About Trinity Washington University

Founded in 1897, Trinity Washington University is a premier university in the nation’s capital committed to empowering students through accessible, high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs.

Under McGuire’s tenure, Trinity Washington University has long been the top destination for D.C. Public School women graduates going on to higher education after high school, through its College of Arts & Sciences. Trinity now also welcomes DCPS students of all genders through the Dual Enrollment and Early College Education partnerships.

Trinity’s other colleges, including The School of Nursing & Health Professions and the School of Professional and Graduate Studies, all provide coeducational degree programs for students seeking degrees at both the bachelor’s and master’s levels, on flexible schedules for working adults. The School of Education additionally helps educators who have already received their bachelor’s degrees pursue master’s degrees while working with rewarding and supportive flexible programs.

In addition, all four schools offer a variety of professional certifications through flexible and even online programs that working adults can use to accelerate their careers. More information can be found at trinitydc.edu.