Anne Mauro Named NRA Industry Woman of the Year 2025

There are few awards out there that really embrace excellence in the Second Amendment world. The NRA Golden Bullseye is one that carries a prestige with it. That’s why when we got a chance to chat with Anne Mauro at SHOT Show 2025®, the NRA Women Golden Bullseye “Industry Woman of the Year”, we snagged it.

Truth be told, I had the privilege of first meeting Mauro in 2022 during a trip to M&M Hunting & Sporting Clays in Pennsville, New Jersey. It did not take long to realize that Mauro is a very special person.

Mauro is the head coach of the University of Maryland’s clay shooting team. The accomplished sporting clays shooter and coach did not get started with a firearm in her hand, but rather a soldering iron. Mauro reflected during one conversation that she used to solder boards on her first kit computer as a youth. The tinkerer went on to study Computer Science at the University of Maryland.

That technical mind of Mauro’s would come in handy later on in life, when shooting sports went from recreational to occupational. 

Mauro said that she’s “worked on a lot of the different guns that are out there” and that it’s “been very exciting, bringing all of my knowledge to the table to really just engineer these so that they fit a good majority of women.” Mauro participated in the designing of different models of firearms for women over the years as an industry professional.

How’d the 5’2” dynamo go from computer programming to becoming a renowned coach and shooter? “I did grow up shooting pistol,” Mauro said about her experiences with firearms. “But as far as the shotgun portion, which is really kind of my forte and what I’ve kind of become known for, it started when my husband wanted me to kind of pick up sporting clays as just a fun little sport.”

After taking a class, Mauro said she was hooked. She said that she called her instructor on her way home from that first class to book another one the following weekend. “I want to continue with this,” she said. “And the rest is history.”

When it came to equipment, Mauro noted that she purchased her first shotgun and had to have it cut down. There were not many – if any – shotguns designed for women on the market at that time.

“I tell everybody, I’m 5’2”, but that’s a little white lie,” Mauro admitted. “I’m a little shorter than that. Little shorter, just a little bit.” Finding something off the rack was just not going to happen.

When things got serious, Mauro had custom stocks made for a pair of Beretta 391’s. It was that process that eventually brought her to working with teams to design firearms that specifically fit women. Mauro said she worked for a number of companies to develop women-centered firearms.

“The standard shotguns out of a box were just way too long, and nothing ever fit in the grips of the hand and the cast and the pitch,” Mauro explained. “We’re obviously – through the chest area – different. So things had to be designed to fit differently, to fit our bodies much more comfortably.”

Mauro’s foray into the professional shooting world was not just in her work on hardware, but software too. In 2011, she said, she was approached to lead a clays shooting team at the University of Maryland.

“There were some students [from] the university, at the local gun range, Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center, and that’s about six miles off of the big College Park campus for the university, and they knew of me, and knew of my shooting, and they asked if I would help them out,” Mauro said about getting involved. “Within the first year, I led them to their first regional championship. And you know, my sole goal with that team has always been to have supporters of the Second Amendment and that they would have a sport for life.”

There’s no doubt that Mauro has had a positive impact on the world of shooting. That’s why when the editorial board for NRA Women got together to discuss the award, it was a no-brainer for them to tap her as the Industry Woman of the Year.

“NRAWomen.com is proud to award Anne Mauro its 2025 Golden Bullseye for Woman of the Year. Her exceptional contributions to the shooting sports—from coaching a major university shotgun team, to designing shotguns for women, to her unwavering mentorship and outreach to countless women around the country—make Anne a natural and worthy recipient of this honor,” Ann Smith, the editor-in-chief at NRA Women said. “Not only does she embody the true spirit of an NRA Women, but she represents herself with a rare grace, inner strength and humility. Anne is an outstanding ambassador for our industry, and anyone who knows her or has worked with her will agree that this recognition is long overdue.”

“Anne is truly a remarkable teacher and educator when it comes to sharing her wealth of knowledge with both new and experienced shooters,” said Suzi Rouse, one of Anne’s colleagues and the president of Oklahoma City Gun Club. “I have done many women’s shooting clinics with Anne and her ability to instruct a new shooter is nothing less than magic. Her attentiveness to their specific needs to insure they bust a target is what I admire most. I have never seen a shooter not bust a bird with Anne Mauro standing at their side.”

Rouse and Smith are not the only industry professionals that weighed in on Mauro’s contributions to the sport.

Michael Hampton, the executive director of the National Skeet Shooting Association/National Sporting Clays Association, discussed Mauro’s achievement.

“Anne is and always has been an ambassador of NSCA to women and men,” Hampton said. “She leads by example and works to help the association grow. Anne led the development of the Ladies Shooting Clinic at the National Championship, and along with the DIVAS, has helped bring in many female shooters to NSCA. She also works hard getting sponsors to support the Ladies Open at the National Championship.”

Championship winning sporting clays shooter and coach, Anthony I. Matarese Jr., has also known Mauro for years. When asked about Mauro, Matarese said, “I have worked with Anne regarding shooting events and she has taken instruction with me over the last 10+ years. Anne is known for her attention to detail and persistence in all her endeavors.”

This is an incredible accomplishment and Mauro, her team, and colleagues should be proud. There’s something magical when a person can touch so many, in so many ways. We congratulate Anne Mauro on being named “Industry Woman of the Year 2025” by NRA Women. Your hard work, determination, and talent has not gone unnoticed.