Molly Todd Award | League of Women Voters Nashville Chapter

Mary “Molly” Hart Todd was a bold advocate for public policy and civic engagement. A Vassar graduate and former social worker, she moved to Nashville in 1939 and became a driving force in community service and reform. She helped revive the League of Women Voters of Nashville in 1948, leading efforts to improve education, public health, and voter access. Todd was also a charter member of the Tennessee Council on Human Relations and supported civil rights activism, including the lunch counter sit-ins. She held leadership roles in numerous organizations and was a plaintiff in the landmark Baker v. Carr Supreme Court case, which established the “one person, one vote” principle in legislative redistricting.

In 1995, the Nashville League established the annual Molly Todd Award to honor a member who has followed in Molly’s footsteps—demonstrating leadership and service to both the League and the voters of Nashville. The award recognizes someone who embodies the same bold spirit and enduring optimism that Molly always brought to her work.

2025 Honoree

Sabina Mohyuddin

Past Honorees

2024 | Ethel Detch

2023 | Brenda Gilmore

2022 | Susan Mattson

2021 | Constance Caldwell

2020 | Clare Sullivan

2019 | Debby Gould

2018 | Madeline and Tony Garr

2017 | Hazel Thornton

2016 | Barbara Gay

2015 | Jo Singer

2014 | Diane DiIanni

2013 | Barbara Devaney

2012 | Pat Post

2011 | Sue Bredensteiner

2010 | Karen Weeks

2009 | Margie Parsley

2008 | Karen Edwards

2007 | Phil Schoggen

2006 | Mary Frances Lyle

2005 | Marian Ott

2004 | Berdelle Campbell

2003 | Dikkie Schoggen

2002 | JoAnn Bennett

2001 | Silvine Hudson

2000 | Brenda Wynn

1999 | Susan Gutow

1998 | Silvine Hudson

1997 | Sally Levine

1996 | Carole Bucy

1995 | Jane Eskind