Stribling receives the 2026 Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award

Fauquier County Deputy County Administrator Mallory Stribling is the recipient of the 2026 VLGMA Marcia Mashaw Outstanding Assistant Award.  She was unable to attend the VLGMA Summer Conference, so Cindy Mester, Falls Church Deputy City Manager and former Mashaw Award recipient, presented the award to Stribling at a gathering of Fauquier County staff and officials on July 9.

Stribling was nominated by Fauquier County Administrator Janelle Downes, who described several projects Stribling led for the County, including the development of a three-year health insurance funding plan for the county and school system; guiding the multi-department modernization effort for a new ERP financial system; improving debt management and restructuring key accounting functions to achieve a reduction in debt service costs that equated to a savings of millions of dollars over the length of loans; and leading efforts to improve the County’s financial stability that ultimately led to the County earning a Triple Triple-A bond rating from all three major rating agencies.  She also played a critical role in reviving a long-delayed renovation of a local fire station, working with a volunteer organization, new fire chief, and the board of supervisors to coordinate efforts and navigate funding and approval pathways to bring the project to final completion.

Downes said that Stribling communicates with transparency, clarity, and empathy in complex situations, which builds trust and consensus on issues with staff and residents.  She said her efforts and impact on major projects is measurable, meaningful, and lasting for the County.  

Stribling will be recognized for this award by the VLGMA membership during the 2027 Winter Conference.

VLGMA has presented the Mashaw Award each year since 1989.  It is named in honor and memory of Marcia Mashaw, a VLGMA member who was serving as Blacksburg assistant town manager at the time of her death in 1986; she had previously worked for the City of Charlottesville and with the Virginia Institute of Government.  The 2026 Mashaw Award Committee Members were Donna Cogswell, Westmoreland Interim County Administrator; Henrico Deputy County Manager Monica Smith-Callahan; and Montgomery County Administrator Angela Hill.