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HONORING THE 2022 WOMEN OF THE YEAR
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HON. JOHN GARAMENDI
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the 2022 Women of the Year. The honorees represent some of the most outstanding and dedicated women in California's 3rd Congressional District. Nominated by their peers, these women are recognized for the integral and crucial roles they play in improving the lives of everyone in their communities. This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed and protected women's constitutional right to vote. In securing the right to vote, suffragists broke through a seemingly impenetrable barrier to women's full and equal citizenship in our country, signaling a new era of equality. Yet, even today, women still face significant barriers to their rights and liberties from pay discrimination to criminalizing women's reproductive rights. I take heart that each of this year's honorees will be a vital part of the work left to be done to realize women's full equality and rights.
The 2022 Women of the Year are:
Claire Arano is a positive force in her community who has a passion for helping others. For the past 20 years, she has served on the Orland Planning Commission, demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to her region. In her role, Claire successfully helped streamline the processes for business and license permits and helped promote economic growth by recruiting new businesses and industries to the Orland area. As a volunteer in the community, Claire works with one goal in mind: shaping the best possible environment for her community. She has served as President of the Orland Chamber of Commerce, the Orland Rotary Club, and the Glenn Chorale. In each of these positions, she stood out as a leader and role model. As a Rotarian, Claire championed scholarships for needy students, guided them to college, and helped many in securing their first jobs. As President of the Glenn Chorale, she established a college scholarship program for students who enrolled in a music course. Claire continually leads by example and puts the needs of others ahead of her own. She has a charitable heart and a compassionate disposition; she is a tremendous asset to the community.
Jerrylean Baker is a dedicated community leader, strong advocate, and shining example of a true public servant. She is a proud senior citizen and lifelong member of the NAACP who advocates for civic engagement, addressing health and education disparities, and monitoring equal opportunity. Envisioning a society where all individuals enjoy life, she serves her community with unmatched passion and dedication. She consistently displays compassion and grace when volunteering in her community and you will often find her organizing clothing and coat drives, packing sandwiches for the homeless, and preparing holiday meals. She is an incredible advocate on issues critical to seniors, fighting for better housing and reliable transportation. As a fierce advocate for education, Jerrylean devotes herself with unparalleled enthusiasm to students who have a desire to attend college. Through her work with the NAACP, she has been instrumental in raising funds for scholarships. Jerrylean's hard work and dedication have enriched the lives of countless residents throughout her community. Jerrylean is an inspiration to her family and her community, and she exemplifies the qualities of a tremendous woman of compassion, courage, and faith.
As co-founder of Sunrise Special Services Foundation, Annie Barnes has dedicated the past twenty years of her life to improving the quality of life for those in underserved communities. Her incredible journey began thirty years ago, having faced her own hardships while raising her young children, promising herself to one day give back by helping those in need. Pursuing her dream, she completed her college education and became an accomplished grant writer while developing programs for California Tribes and rural communities. Annie secured a position with the Office of Rural Health Policy as a Rural Fellow where she was recognized by UCLA as a national Healthcare Leader. Upon receiving her master's in clinical psychology from UCSF, she became an advocate for integrating western medical models with traditional healing practices for Tribal, Latino, and other communities of color. Annie's accomplishments include securing funding for the Inter-Tribal Council of California to train communities in violence prevention models and developing programs for the prevention of diabetes II complications for the Lake County Tribal Health Consortium. Annie's commitment to overcoming challenges, her positive impact on countless lives in her community, and her unwavering advocacy for those in need make her an inspiration to all who know her.
Diane Barney has made an extraordinary difference in her community through her extensive career in journalism and healthcare as well as her involvement in civic clubs and public service. She has had an outstanding career first as a journalist and then as Editor of the Vacaville Reporter, serving the northern Solano Community from 1984-2009. During her tenure, she focused on every facet of the community, reporting on schools, health, government, and social events as well as working to balance the role of a local newspaper in informing the public and telling the stories of regular people living regular lives. She is now the editor of Wellspring, a free health education publication that is delivered to 70,000 Solano residents. Diane has also had direct involvement with a host of public initiatives, including publicizing free immunization clinics through news releases, contributing health columns to local publications, and as a founding member of the Solano Public Information Network, was instrumental in educating the public on the pandemic's progression. As a community advocate, Diane has been a tireless volunteer for Soroptimist International of Vacaville and has served on multiple committees promoting their accomplishments. She served on the Solano County Library Advisory Council and sits on the Board of Directors of the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce, serving on the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee. Diane always finds a way to balance her work life, community service, and her role as a wife and mother. She has a heart for public service and advocacy and is a tremendous asset to her community.
Camille Benner is an exceptional leader and advocate for Yuba and Sutter Counties. Camille volunteers for SayLove, a group that mobilizes people and resources to promote positive impacts and change within the community. She is also a member of LEADership, where she works on fundraising to establish clothes closets in elementary schools and raise money for the local Shady Creek Foundation to send kids to camp. She is extremely engaged in her community and is always willing to lend a helping hand from MCing events to helping organize fundraisers around town. Camille currently works for Habitat for Humanity where her giving spirit and the endless energy she puts into projects serve as an inspiration to both her colleagues and the Yuba-Sutter community at large. Camille has an amazingly positive attitude, but she also does not shy away from discussing life's struggles, and by sharing her own stories and success in overcoming adversity, her authenticity and resilience inspire others to do the same. Camille treats everyone she meets with compassion and creates lasting connections with those she helps. Camille is the proud mother of three sons who have learned to share her same passion and dedication for community service.
Barbara Bulkley is an active member of the Dixon community whose positive impact has been felt by many. Barbara has been an integral member of the Soroptimist International of Dixon for 31 years. She is a woman who works tirelessly behind the scenes to make everything run smoothly and successfully. She can be found cooking, handling event registration, setting or cleaning up events, and personally selling more than half of the Soroptimist raffle tickets herself. She is known throughout her community for her endless generosity, for years she has provided a Christmas tree lighting in the Dixon downtown area for the entire community. When the Dixon Soroptimists had exhausted their emergency budget in helping a community member pay rent while they cared for their terminally ill child, Barbara stepped in to assist the woman with an additional three months of rent. When fires ravaged her county, she stepped up and donated bottled water to assist the firefighters and displaced families. All of these generous contributions were made behind the scenes while being an active owner of Bulkley Ranch with her late husband Bob. All who know Barbara can attest to how much she loves her town and cares about helping others. There are countless women whose lives have been changed as a direct result of Barbara's generosity. Her service to others and her community is a shining example to everyone she meets.
Dr. Debapriya Chakraborty is a dedicated public servant who puts her expertise to work creating sustainable and equitable public policy in her community. Since earning her Ph.D. in Economics from UC Irvine, Debapriya has led the policy team at the Plug-In Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center at UC Davis. Her research focuses on policy issues related to electric vehicles, charging behavior, charging infrastructure integration, and the effects of transportation electrification policy on the energy market. Debapriya has an invaluable skill for bringing together aspects of her research into actionable outcomes for policymakers. Through her passion and expertise, she has been leading the fight against climate change by working to make transportation sustainable, affordable, and easily available to everyone. Inspired by her upbringing in a large Indian city with extensive transportation challenges, she strives to ensure that all communities have equitable access to electric vehicles. Debapriya also serves as a commissioner of the Davis Bicycling, Transportation, and Street Safety Commission and has advised the Davis City Council on transportation policy, road safety, and transportation infrastructure maintenance. Debapriya is also an active member of the Women's Transportation Seminar International, where she has been mentoring students on closing the gender workforce gap and promoting career opportunities for early-career professionals interested in pursuing a career in transportation. She has a passion for creating equity and sustainability through public policy and is committed to finding a solution to one of the world's most critical challenges.
Sally Christie has a demonstrated passion and commitment to preserving the culture, history, and agricultural lands of the rich Delta community she lives in. Sally is on the advisory committee of the Delta Education Vineyard, an educational readiness program that works to cultivate the next generation of community leaders and agricultural professionals and secure the legacy of the Sacramento Delta region. Taking on many leadership roles in her community, Sally is also a member of the Walnut Grove Community Church where she is known as a spiritual leader with a passion for providing parishioners with leadership in the areas of stewardship, worship, and mission outreach. Sally is known throughout the Delta region for her generosity and caring nature. The work she has done educating future leaders will leave a lasting legacy, preserving and enhancing the spirit of this Delta community.
Rose Conroy spent her career as a firefighter and has served as a role model for women beginning their careers as first responders and public servants. Rose first joined the Davis Fire Department in 1979, rising through the ranks to become Fire Chief in 1994. At the time of her appointment, Rose became the first woman to lead a professional municipal fire department in the State of California. She led the Davis Fire Department for the next 16 years, maintaining the highest standards of the profession and instituting innovations such as the customer service immediate feedback reporting system after each call. As a highly visible woman in an occupation still dominated by men, her drive and determination led her to break the glass ceiling almost 30 years ago. Although Rose retired in 2010, her legacy lives on in the recent elevation of another female Davis Fire Department firefighter who, in February, was promoted to the position of Battalion Chief. Rose's early trailblazing role and her 30 years of service are memorialized in the California Firefighters Memorial statue in Capital Park, Sacramento, where her likeness is the only woman among the four firefighters depicted. Rose continues her unselfish community service, serving as Board Vice President for Communicare Health Centers, providing health services to tens of thousands of low income Yolo County residents. She embraced her role as Fire Chief with passion and professionalism and continues to have a positive impact through her volunteer work.
Roberta D'Arcy has dedicated her life to caring for others through her career as a nurse, leading various county health programs, and through her involvement in the community. Her nursing career began in the 1960s when, at 23 years of age, she became Director of Nursing for Yuba County Hospital. She later spent seven years at Fremont Hospital in Labor and Delivery while running various prenatal classes for expecting parents. Roberta later became the Detox Program Manager in Marysville from 1975 to 1979 and in 1980 was presented with the opportunity to become jail nurse for the Yuba County Jail. It was there that she recognized the severity of addiction and how it affected entire families. Roberta was instrumental in developing the First Steps program in Yuba City, which provides intensive day treatment services to substance-abusing mothers. She was also instrumental in co-founding the Fathers First program in Yuba County, which remains a vital tool for fathers who are in recovery, newly out of incarceration, or simply in need of support in fathering skills. After retiring in 1999, Roberta began work at Harmony Health Family Resource Center in Marysville and in later years worked in Homeless Services. Her work of assisting her community's most vulnerable members has directly changed the lives of countless individuals and has made her an indispensable part of the community.
Anne Davis East has given her time volunteering for countless organizations in Yolo County and has worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for those in her community and beyond. As an original member of the Board of Directors for Dinner on Main, Anne was instrumental in organizing the very first Farm to Fork dinner event in Woodland, highlighting the beauty, heritage, and agriculture of Yolo County. Additionally, Anne volunteers for the chamber of commerce where she's served as a judge for the Holiday Parade and provided pro bono consulting services to re-establish the Woodland Downtown Group. As an integral member of the community, she also participated in the Woodland Redistricting Advisory group. Anne has worked tirelessly to bring community events to Woodland that engage families, helping organize the Big Day of Giving which benefited a local girls' fast pitch softball team, working with her church and the Woodland Public Library to provide books to children, and arranging to have blankets distributed during the church's Monday food program. Anne's selflessness is an inspiration to many within her community. She is a positive role model for children and adults alike, demonstrating what it means to be a generous, caring, and passionate member of the community.
Erin Donley Marineau is a passionate leader in our community having served five years as the Executive Director of Tree Davis. A devoted environmentalist, Erin has dedicated herself to growing Yolo County's urban forest and supporting the community. She largely accomplished her successes by engaging local volunteers, partnering with local municipalities, and securing the funding necessary to grow the urban forest throughout Yolo County. During her five years, Erin and her team of volunteers planted thousands of trees and logged in tens of thousands of hours of work. Some of her many accomplishments include spearheading the development of California's first climate-ready landscape tree planting effort. This effort included identifying and adopting a palette of climate-resilient species of trees. To help ensure the adoption's longevity, Erin collaborated with leadership to develop a new Climate-Ready Urban Forestry Education Program for high school students throughout Yolo County that would promote healthier and better-suited trees that could withstand the changing climate. When Erin found out this new program created a supply issue, she negotiated with horticultural nurseries throughout multiple western states to help ensure a steady supply of appropriate species and quantities for the coming planting season. Her knowledge, enthusiasm, and passion for the environment have made a lasting impact that will be felt in Yolo County and communities across the western United States for many years.
Debbie Egidio is the president and CEO of the Vacaville Chamber of Commerce and serves as chairman of the chamber's Educational Foundation. Her leadership has been responsible for developing and enhancing the success of the 450 businesses in Vacaville while attracting new business to the region. Debbie is also co-founder of DTS Egidio, a local marketing and public relations firm. Before starting her company, Debbie worked as Marketing Director at Triad Communities where she provided marketing and public outreach for several projects, including the Lagoon Valley Project and the rehabilitation of the historic Empress Theatre in downtown Vallejo, a $3 million redevelopment project that partnered Triad, the City of Vallejo, and the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation. Debbie is a graduate of UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural and Managerial Economics and has put her expertise to use in many community and industry organizations throughout her career. Her outstanding career accomplishments and dedication to serving her community are an inspiration to aspiring leaders.
I congratulate each of them and commend them for their work. I am inspired by them and firmly believe when women succeed, America succeeds.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 164(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 164(2)
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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