The Erinn Phelan Award, instituted in 2011, is granted to the delegate at BUSUN who demonstrates the greatest commitment to the empowerment of women.

This very special award is given in honor of Erinn Phelan, a former BUSUN Secretary-General. Erinn was working as a coordinator in Mayor Bloomberg’s NYC Civic Corps when she was the victim of a hit-and-run accident. She was at that time accompanied by her close friend, Alma Guerrero, who is also a former BUSUN Secretary-General.

Sadly, Erinn recently passed away on April 16, 2022, after a long struggle with her injuries from the accident. BUSUN XXVIII is the third time we will be awarding the Erinn Phelan Award since her death, and we are honored that both Alma and Erinn’s mother plan to attend the Closing Ceremony to share some words about Erinn before presenting the award.

We at BUSUN hope that this award and Erinn’s incredible example and memory will serve to motivate all delegates to deepen their awareness of and commitment to women's empowerment.

The Erinn Phelan Award is presented to the delegate that best embodies the following qualities: visionary leadership, dedication, and unwavering commitment to service. Award selection will be based on the following criteria:

1. All interested delegates must submit a current resume.

2. Applicants must also submit a 500-word response to a prompt, which will be released soon.

Interested delegates must submit an application form, which will be released soon.

Applicants chosen to be finalists will be offered a 15-minute interview with the Secretaries-General during BUSUN weekend. The Secretaries-General will also consult with committee chairs to review candidates' performance in committee.

The winner of this award will be announced at the Closing Ceremony and will receive $500 to be donated to the 501(c)(3) charitable organization of their choice. This year, BUSUN will also make an additional donation to the traumatic brain injury unit at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in honor of Erinn.