When, earlier this year, Philadelphia was named “best city for street art” by USA Today readers, it was a point of pride for our city, heralded on billboards, on-air, and online. But it wasn’t a surprise to anyone who lives in and loves Philadelphia: We’ve always known we have the best street art — thanks to the woman behind Mural Arts Philadelphia, Jane Golden.
Golden announced that she’ll be retiring this year — this, after overseeing the creation of more than 4,000 murals and public works of art, and establishing the gold standard for cities worldwide. Her trailblazing spirit has earned Golden one of our prestigious Citizen of the Year Awards — specifically, the Edward G. Rendell Lifetime Achievement Award.
Golden’s same spirit of “Why not?” unites all of the winners of this year’s Citizen of the Year Awards, 10 phenomenal Philadelphians in fields from medicine to art to baseball whose sense of service guides them, and whose commitment to seeing possibilities offers a model for us all.
As always, The Citizen spent a full year searching for this year’s winners — asking you, our readers, for your recommendations, and talking to in-the-know people across sectors to land on this group of citizens who are making our city and the world a better place.
We will honor all of them on April 22, 2026, at Fitler Club Ballroom, during a festive dinner celebration where we’ll also hear from MS NOW correspondent (and Citizen Media Group board trustee) Ali Velshi, with more special guests to be announced soon.
We hope you will join us in celebrating — and that you’ll be energized by the actions of each of these remarkable winners. They are:
Educator of the Year: Charlie McGeehan
Charlie McGeehan is a social studies teacher at Academy at Palumbo who doesn’t just teach students about history — he emboldens them to be a part of changing its trajectory. His hands-on curriculum includes finding opportunities for his students to speak at City Hall, hosting elected officials for Q&As in the classroom and influencing policy proposals. “Students are motivated to learn, but they’re not always interested in traditional government education. That’s why I started centering my course around the issues and the events that students want to talk about and then finding ways to talk about government and systems in our society and how those intersect with those issues,” McGeehan says. “The more I give students opportunities, the more interest grows in getting involved.”
Young Citizen of the Year: Yuva Gambhir
Yuva Gambhir, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania, grew up in Philadelphia with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a severe muscle-wasting genetic disorder that affects roughly 300,000 people worldwide. Throughout his life, he has educated, fundraised, and advocated for the DMD community — raising more than $3 million for research — while refusing to let the disease define him. Beyond his advocacy, Gambhir is also a music producer and DJ, a tech startup founder, and a dedicated practitioner of mindful meditation — pursuits that reflect the curiosity, discipline, and joy he brings to everything he does. “Yuva represents the very best of Philadelphia: resilient, innovative, inclusive, and unafraid,” one of his nominators said. “He’s a reminder that citizenship isn’t about titles or accolades. It’s about how we show up for each other, how we use what we’ve been given, and how we create joy, meaning, and momentum, even in the face of immense challenges.”
Disruptors of the Year: Carl June and Jeff Marrazzo
With the launch of biotech company Dispatch Biotherapeutics, which is poised to create a universal treatment for cancer tumors — and their commitment to keeping the company firmly planted in Philadelphia — Dr. Carl June of Penn Medicine and entrepreneur Jeff Marrazzo are proving that the best of Philly’s Cellicon Valley is yet to come. Over a decade ago, June led a research team that pioneered the use of CAR-T cells to fight cancer, which has eradicated leukemia and lymphoma in thousands of patients. Now, he and Marrazzo — the former CEO of Spark Therapeutics, who led the company through its $4.8 billion purchase by Roche — are working to unlock a revolutionary cure that could treat up to 93 percent of all cancers. “For me, Dispatch presented the perfect match of compelling science that’s going to make a huge human impact and the prospect of growing and building that right here in Philadelphia,” says Marrazzo.
A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., Social Justice Champion of the Year: Keisha Hudson
The Defender Association of Philadelphia’s Chief Defender Keisha Hudson is widely heralded by her peers and the communities she serves as a champion of the people. This past year, Hudson — a U.S. citizen originally from Jamaica — has gone ever deeper into the fray with 11 additional staffers dedicated to protecting immigrants targeted by the federal government for possible deportation.
“People think, well Immigration and Customs Enforcement is there detaining people who have been alleged to have committed crime – and that’s not what’s happening,” she says. “Seventy percent of the people in detention right now have no criminal record or no criminal justice system involvement. Victims and witnesses are being detained as well.” Last spring, before Hudson gave the commencement address at Drexel University Law School, Dean Daniel Filler said it best: “She is a stalwart advocate for clients even when her work or clients are unpopular.”
Block Captain of the Year: Mekia Elizabeth Mathews
As a teen, Mekia Elizabeth Matthews — like many young adults — couldn’t wait to leave home behind. But when a series of events brought her and her husband back to live in her childhood house, no one was more surprised than she was by how much she came to fall in love with her Germantown neighborhood. Now, as co-Block Captain, she has converted her front porch into a cafe — staffed by the teens in her community — organized community plantings and parties, cleanups and childcare, camps and gardens. “Kids learn the art of friendship on this block,” says Matthews.
Lewis Katz Corporate Citizens of the Year: John and Leigh Middleton
You may know the Middletons as owners of the Phillies, the civic heartbeat of our city from April through October. What you may not know is the extent to which John and Leigh Middleton give of themselves to make our city a world-class destination off the field, as through their generosity over the years to support much-needed social services like Project HOME. And in honor of the country’s 250th celebration this year, they are sharing their art — considered by many to be the finest private collection of American art in the country — with the public, through a joint show at both the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
Edward G. Rendell Lifetime Achievement Award: Jane Golden
Golden needs no re-introduction. To meet her is to be enchanted by her passion for Philadelphia. Earlier this year she told WHYY, “Here is the scoop: I love this city. I’m unwavering about that. And I believe in the power of art. I believe in artists.” Her support has changed the lives of countless artists — including Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter of the Roots, who spoke with Golden at our 2022 Ideas We Should Steal Festival — and those of us who are surrounded by her efforts every day. “Mural Arts is an international model for public art that doesn’t just grace the city with beauty, but that tells the story of a city,” Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, also told WHYY. “There are a lot of great public art organizations, locally and nationally. But there’s nothing else like Mural Arts in the world.”
2026 Citizen of the Year: Paul Offit
Dr. Paul Offit, Director of the Vaccine Education Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is arguably the foremost expert on vaccines in the world — and, not coincidentally, RFK Jr.’s biggest nemesis. In the face of federal attacks on our children’s health and well-being, Offit — whom Kennedy fired from the FDA’s vaccine advisory committee — refuses to be silent. His Substack, Beyond the Noise, and his regular appearances on national television highlight his commitment to using his expertise and platform to hold power to account in the name of what’s right. (The Citizen also runs Offit’s columns.) For his courage and candor — which has resulted in death threats to his family — The Citizen is proud to hold him up as a model of how we can all use our voices to protect those who are vulnerable, and protect our democracy in the process. “We are living in the deep state age. Everything’s a conspiracy. It works — that’s the problem,” Offit said during a recent sit-down with Citizen writer Malcolm Burnley. “I’m not [RFK’s] problem. The science that consistently shows he’s wrong, that’s his problem.”
You can read more about each honoree as we share profiles of them leading up to this year’s celebration — and you can join us at the dinner on April 22. Get your tickets and sponsorship information here.
MORE CITIZEN OF THE YEAR COVERAGE