12 To Be Inducted In Alameda Co. Women's Hall Of Fame

News from Alameda County:

ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA - Twelve outstanding local women will be inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame at its 23rd Anniversary Luncheon and Awards Ceremony in Oakland on March 19.

This year’s inductees are:

∙ Victoria Jones, Business and Professions. Victoria is Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Community Relations for Clorox Corp. in Oakland. She guides the Clorox Foundation’s grant-making and plays a pivotal role in supporting strong, healthy communities.

∙ Suzanne Barba, Community Service. Suzanne is a longtime board member with the League of Women Voters, Eden Area, whose activism has spread to important causes including good schools, healthy neighborhoods and first-rate health care in the County’s unincorporated areas.

∙ Sarah Crowell, Culture and Art. Sarah is Artistic Director of the Destiny Arts Center in North Oakland, a nonprofit that provides dance, theater and martial arts training to young people with the goal of ending isolation, prejudice and violence in their lives.

∙ Stephanie Couch, Education. Stephanie is Executive Director of the groundbreaking Institute for STEM Education at Cal State East Bay and is a driving force in efforts to raise the level of education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math provided to youth across the region.

∙ Leora Feeney, Environment. Leora is a longtime volunteer with the Golden Gate Audubon Society whose efforts to save Alameda’s tiniest endangered bird – the California Least Tern – convinced three federal agencies to create a wildlife reserve on land that used to be the Alameda Naval Air Station.

∙ Tina Raine-Bennett, MD, MPH, Health. Tina is a Senior Research Scientist and Staff Physician with Kaiser Permanente whose expertise in the areas of contraception and reproductive health has helped to improve the health outcomes of scores of women – including teens and underserved women.

∙ Marcia Blackstock, Justice. Marcia is the longtime Executive Director of Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR), the first rape crisis center in America. Her work has led the criminal justice system – including police, prosecutors and the courts – to be more accountable to victims of sexual assault.

∙ Aloysia Rochon Fouché, Non-Traditional Careers. Aloysia is a former school teacher who took over her husband’s funeral home business following his death in 2001. Her determination to become one of the country’s few female funeral directors allowed Fouché’s Hudson Funeral Home to become the first African American-owned business to reach 100 years of doing business in Oakland.

∙ Quinn Delaney, Philanthropy. Quinn is the founder and President of the Akonadi Foundation, one of the Bay Area’s few philanthropies focused on supporting racial justice. Her work to support youth in Oakland schools has helped transform many lives for the better.

∙ Jacqueline Chen, PhD, Science, Technology, Engineering. Jacqueline is a Distinguished Technical Staff member at Sandia National Laboratories in Livermore and a pioneer in using ultra-fast supercomputers to advance the study of turbulence-chemistry interactions that underpin the operation of gas turbines, automobile engines and other practical combustion devices.

∙ Gail D. Hunter, Sports and Athletics. Gail is Vice President of Public Affairs and Event Management with the World Champion Golden State Warriors. She also is an active board member with the Golden State Warriors Foundation, which makes significant and lasting impacts in the lives of underserved youth across the Bay Area.

∙ Lizbeth Hernandez, Youth. Lizbeth is a teenager whose tireless involvement is changing her home community of Oakland for the better. She was one of the first participants in Girls Inc.’s Girls Resource Center in Oakland and has been a driving force in organizations supporting social justice, food justice and youth transitioning from the criminal justice system.

“Each of these outstanding women is a living example of why Alameda County is a place that is second- to-none in terms of its vibrant culture and rich diversity,” said Alameda County Administrator Susan S. Muranishi, an event co-chair. “Their stories inspire us all to work to make our community a better place.’’

This year’s Women’s Hall of Fame luncheon and awards ceremony is set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2016, at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 4700 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland. The event will be hosted by the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women.

“This will be an inspiring afternoon for everyone in attendance as we shine the spotlight on 12 outstanding women who are truly making a difference in Alameda County,” said Dr. Stacy Thompson, Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women.

The Women’s Hall of Fame “Leading the Way” Youth Scholarship Fund helps propel young leaders towards meaningful futures in civic engagement. The Women’s Hall of Fame also makes charitable donations to worthy community-based organizations that support the women, youth, and families of Alameda County.

Individual sponsorships are available, providing an opportunity for our business, government and community partners to support our youth. Tickets to the luncheon and awards ceremony are $85. For ticket information and on-line purchase, visit http://whof.acgov.org. Sponsorship opportunities that include the sponsoring of tables/seats for youth to attend are available online at http://whof.acgov.org or please e-mail countyadministrator@acgov.org for additional information.

--Photo courtesy of Women’s Hall of Fame