And the award goes to …
That wasn’t exactly the patter at the Women of Excellence Awards held on March 5 at the Santa Maria Inn, but you get the idea. Eleven women with outstanding personal and professional achievements had been nominated. This is a highly anticipated annual Women’s Network event.
Choosing four awardees is a tough call, network President Michelle Shipman admitted. Past presidents Christine Gerber and Donna Randolph echoed Shipman’s sentiments.
“Some of the stories we hear [during the interview process] are so touching,” Gerber said.
The 2014 awards went to Diane Adam (Lifetime Achievement), Sandra Brown (Women Taking Creative Risks), Yvonne Cudney (Women Helping Women), and Kim Davis (Women of Spirit).
Adam was one of the founders of the Discovery Museum and is presently a trustee of the Santa Barbara Foundation. Brown is with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, and the first woman to run for the office of Santa Barbara County sheriff.
Cudney is an attorney with the Legal Aid Foundation. Davis is executive director of CASA, an organization that gives children in foster care advocates to speak for them in the court system.
Emcee attorney Karen O’Neill—a past award recipient—delighted all with stories of how she got to Santa Maria and became involved in pro bono work.
Attorney Kristine Mollenkopf is a natural at the podium. This former president of Montecito Rotary introduced the nominees.
My goodness, there were a lot of opportunities to hobnob with lady lawyers!
George Majoue gave the invocation—poetic and lovely—and he burst appropriately into song. This was most interesting and creative. Methinks there is a future for him in invocation giving.
At my table, along with the Women’s Network luminaries, were Lisa Long of the city’s utilities department, Maria Escobedo and Rosa Graves from Donna Randolph’s insurance office staff, and Jolene Temple, who is now working with the network’s Shipman.
We had a choice of prime rib, chicken, or pesto ravioli with salad and chocolate cake. Tickets were $40.
About 150 attendees filled the festively decorated Santa Maria Room at the Historic Santa Maria Inn.
Interior decorator Gredsa Johnson chaired the decorating committee. Her vision included tiny white lights scattered about the room and mini-chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Yellow-and-white-striped tablecloths, big pink bows on white chair covers, and streamers of rhinestones were casually arranged on the silent auction table.
And, oh, the silent auction! The pièce de résistance that evening was the opportunity to have a pair of shoes custom painted with a design of your choice and glammed up with fake gemstones. Is that not too cool?
Among the presenters of nominees were Lisa Murray, Lisa Brunello, Michelle Cox, Krista Murchison, and Amy Curti. Amy also played the piano during cocktail hour.
Each attendee, upon departure, received a swag bag with a cake pop, pens, and a notepad.
En route to a basketball game, network member Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino popped in to check out the action.
Doug Coleman, field representative for Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, delivered to the nominees handsome certificates of recognition from the California Legislature.
Hobnobbing is duty bound to report that, while this event resembled the Academy Awards in some ways, there was nowhere near the amount of cleavage.
If you want to hobnob with Helen, you may contact her at helenthom232@yahoo.com.
This article appears in Mar 20-27, 2014.