Honorees
Virginia Burgan
Virginia Burgan has been a dedicated member of the League of Women Voters Collin County chapter for three years, actively coordinating Rock the Vote events with Collin College campuses since Fall 2022. She has also served as a volunteer deputy registrar for Collin and Denton counties for several years and has regularly worked elections in Collin County as either a clerk or judge since March 2020. Before becoming an at-home parent many years ago, she was a project manager at EDS. Virginia's community involvement includes serving as the Frisco Centennial HS Orchestra Booster Club president from 2018 to 2022, leading her daughters' Girl Scout troops, volunteering with her son's Cub Scout troop, and being a past president of Mothers & More. Virginia and her husband Darrell have four children, two grandchildren, and a dog.
Juanita Jones-Royal
Juanita has been a resident of Collin County for over 40 years. She has always been a dedicated supporter of voting rights. She became a registered voter at an early age and has been actively voting all her adult life. What better way to defend and support democracy than exercising your right to vote. Juanita is a strong believer that all eligible citizens should vote. She is a Collin County Volunteer Deputy Registrar and has registered hundreds of citizens over the last five years in Collin County. Juanita received a BS degree from Grambling State University in Grambling Louisiana with a double major in Accounting and Business Data Processing. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporation, Chi Zeta Omega Chapter. Juanita is a life member of Jack and Jill of America Incorporation, North Suburban Dallas Chapter.
Cathy Murphree
Cathy Murphree is an LWV Richardson League member and serves as Project Manager for New Citizen Voter Registration, a collaborative effort of the Collin County, Dallas, and Richardson Leagues. After her early IT career, Cathy felt called to teach and was a math teacher in Richardson ISD before enjoying various teaching and administrative roles at The Hockaday School, an all-girls independent school in Dallas. Upon retirement, Cathy joined the Richardson League and quickly found her passion to be educating and registering new voters. Cathy and husband Dan enjoy traveling, including to see children and grandchildren in Colorado and Washington.
Janice Schieffer
Janice Schieffer has served the League of Women Voters in Collin County since 2006 in various capacities, including President and Vice-President of Voters Service, as well as board member of LWV Texas 2010-2014. She has a BA in English from UT Austin and an MS in Computer Science from UT Dallas. Janice's career has spanned journalism, technical writing, and software development. She has also volunteered in literacy tutoring and has held various roles within the American Association of University Women. Janice enjoys travel, books, soccer, and solving crossword and jigsaw puzzles. A native Texan, she is married and has two sons and three grandchildren.
Cindy Thomas
Cynthia “Cindy” Thomas has worked for over 45-years to empower voters and improve government accountability. She is a volunteer with the League of Women Voters of Collin County. Additionally, she has served on several nonprofit boards over the years, including the executive committee of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and the Volunteer Center of Dallas. Her career began in the late 1970s as the executive director of Common Cause Minnesota. She was a policy analyst and research director in the Minnesota Senate. She has been president of a public policy consulting firm since 1986. Ms. Thomas holds an M.A. in Public Affairs, and a B.S., Summa Cum Laude, from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.