District 47 honored Gwendolyn Lorraine Dowdy-Rodgers of San Bernardino as the 2019 Assembly District 47 Woman of the Year along with the various nominees. Organized by the Legislative Women’s Caucus, the Woman of the Year award recognizes women from all over the state for accomplishments in their respective fields and for their dedication to improving the lives of others in conjunction with Women’s History Month.
Gwendolyn Lorraine Dowdy-Rodgers, a long-time noted speaker, assistant pastor, board of education member, and founder of the Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation was selected to receive this years’ Woman of the Year award based on her work with students and parents. The Young Women’s Empowerment Foundation empowers young women to reach their highest aspirations via mentoring and scholarship opportunities that support participants from middle school through their first year of college. Gwen also established an annual spring “Girl Talk” conference for young girls along with an annual fall “Healthy Me” wellness conference for women to address chronic health issues.
“It is an honor to recognize Gwen for her commitment and dedication to the communities of the Inland Empire. Her leadership and sacrifice for others is a model we all should aspire to,” said Assemblymember Reyes. “Gwen is a champion for the region through her work to empower and uplift young women across the region. Gwen made a decision to give back to her community with her time, efforts and knowledge and we should look to her as an example of what we can do to help others.”
In total, over 120 women were nominated from throughout the community for the Woman of the Year award which recognizes local women for accomplishments in their respective fields and for their dedication to improving the lives of others in conjunction with Women’s History Month.
Nominees came from a variety of different backgrounds ranging from educators and community advocates to county employees, students, business owners and heads of local non-profits. After review, 30 finalist were selected before the final selection of Gwendolyn Lorrain Dowdy-Rodgers
2019 Woman of the Year Finalist for the 47th District:
Alexa Sigala - Fontana, Alice Chow Geske – Grand Terrace, Aurelia Renteria - Fontana, Carol Malone - Rialto, Demi Espinoza - Muscoy, Dr. Letitia Wright - Fontana, Elsie Valdivia Robles - Colton, Erika Flores – Bloomington, Francine Blacksher – San Bernardino, Gloria Amaya – San Bernardino, Gwendolyn Dowdy-Rodgers – San Bernardino, Isabel Hunt - Fontana, Jean Kayano – Grand Terrace, Jennifer L. Morris - Rialto, Joyce Chambers Hampton - Rialto, Judith Valles – San Bernardino, Karen Larson Coleman - Fontana, Kathy Williams-Braxton - Colton, Kimberly Calvin – San Bernardino, Kimberly Clark - Fontana, LaKeisha Jackson – San Bernardino, LuCretia Dowdy - Bloomington, Maribel Núñez – San Bernardino, Maricela Soliz-Ferguson - Rialto, Megan Moeskau – Grand Terrace, Pamela Langford – San Bernardino, Paula Beauchamp – San Bernardino, Rebecca Gallegos - Colton, Rev. Bronica Martindale-Taylor – San Bernardino, and Rosa Loera – Muscoy.