CUESTA COLLEGE HONORS 2004
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
"WOMEN OF DISTINCTION" ON MARCH 27

San Luis Obispo County Women of Distinction Award candidates are nominated by individuals and organizations from throughout the county. Winners are selected by the Cuesta College Women's Forum committee, which is composed of community representatives and college staff. The women who were nominated have distinguished themselves in the areas of community and public service, education and progress for women.

Eileen Allan of Atascadero and Ruth Brackett of Arroyo Grande are this year’s recipients of the Progress for Women Award, which goes to those whose commitment to a particular program or issue of special relevance to women has resulted in the improvement of the quality of life for women.

Allan has a passion for helping victims of domestic violence. She has been the Executive Director of the North County Women’s Resource Center for 10 years. Under her guidance and leadership, the center has developed into the largest domestic violence shelter in the county, offering 32 beds at two separate locations. Bilingual staff are on hand to assist Hispanic victims. During the 2002-2003 fiscal year, more than 7,600 days of shelter were provided to 60 women and 109 children in Atascadero and Paso Robles. Allan supervises a staff of 21, including five volunteer counselors, who describe her as a warm, caring, compassionate individual who is a tireless champion for women’s rights.

Brackett has played a major role in public service for San Luis Obispo County. In 1983, she was elected as the County’s first female Supervisor. She was the first woman to chair the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors – first in 1986, then in 1997. The South County, particularly Nipomo, owes a lot to Brackett’s efforts. She was instrumental in accomplishing the approval of a new Nipomo library, securing funding for the Tefft Street bridge widening, coordinating the Oceano clean-up event and working closely with the Nipomo Olde Towne Assocation to develop a design plan. She was a founding member of the Boys and Girls Club of South County and of the Oceano Community Center.

Sandi Sigurdson of San Luis Obispo is the recipient of the Community and Public Service Award, Professional Category. This is awarded to a woman who has, through her employment, distinguished herself by outstanding service to human or community needs.

Sigurdson has been the Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony since 1994. Under her leadership, the symphony has expanded its services and programs to provide greater access for all community members. When concerts began selling out in 1996, Sigurdson opened symphony dress rehearsals to the public, which are now reaching "sold-out" capacity levels. Sigurdson worked to increase the Symphony’s presence when local schools began cutting music programs. Low or no-cost Symphony music education programs now include eight, in-school and community-wide programs reaching more than 7,000 children per year. Sigurdson makes servicing the Latino community a priority by insisting that all Symphony music education materials – brochures, flyers and web pages – feature information in both English and Spanish. Sigurdson also has been active with years of service to local community organizations, including the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce, City of San Luis Obispo Planning Commission and the San Luis Obispo Leadership Program.

Norma Moye of Paso Robles, Melanie Cleveland of San Luis Obispo and Betty Fiscalini of Cambria are the recipients of the Community and Public Service Award, Volunteer Category for their respective work in environment, community development and art. This award is given to women who have distinguished themselves as volunteers in the community through outstanding service to human or community needs.

Moye is a lifelong volunteer. According to one nominator, "when the Webster’s Dictionary is next updated, they should put a photograph of Norma beside the definition of ‘service’" Moye has been the Executive Director of the Paso Robles Main Street Association for the past 15 years. According to her nomination form, Moye has guided the organization from a struggling group of merchants to a powerhouse program involving hundreds of businesses and community volunteers. It presents nearly three-dozen special events each year, along with educational opportunities for local retailers.

Local children with disabilities owe a lot to the efforts of Cleveland, who has been a tireless advocate on their behalf. She has been described as an "inspiration" to parents and professionals with her attitude of strong persistence and strong advocacy. Cleveland, who is the mother of two boys with disabilities, founded Camp Hope, a summer program specifically for developmentally disabled children. The program started in 2001 and served 46 students that year. The former college professor and freelance writer is a member of the Tri-Counties Regional Center Board of Directors, participating in all policy decisions to improve the services for the developmentally disabled.

Fiscalini’s accomplishments are almost too numerous to list. The life-long Central Coast resident was one of the founders of the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County. She worked with former Telegram-Tribune Business Manager L.B. Blakeslee to found the county’s Crime Stoppers program,
and led the campaign to upgrade the county’s Juvenile Hall facilities. Fiscalini has labored tirelessly for decades on behalf of various county and statewide agricultural concepts and programs, speaking out to and working with such agencies and groups as the Coastal Commission and San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.

Patricia Lindamood and Nanci Bell, both of San Luis Obispo, will receive the Women in Education Award, given to woman whose exceptional commitment to teaching and learning has done much to improve the quality of education.

Lindamood and Bell are internationally recognized leaders in the field of learning disabilities, founding the renowned Lindamood-Bell learning process in 1986. According to one nominator, these pioneers have developed programs and learning systems designed to assist children and adults suffering from language and literacy disorders, including those who may be diagnosed as dyslexic, hyperlexic, ADD/HD and autistic. Their special learning techniques have become so successful in rescuing multitudes of failing children, they have been widely sought after and adopted by school districts in California, Arkansas, Colorado, Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and more. "They have had a permanent impact on countless young lives, redirecting many towards success," said one nominator.

For more information on the Cuesta College Women of Distinction, contact Cuesta’s Community Programs Office at 546-3132.