Press Release
Posted:
Napa County –Today, Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) announced that Maria Eduviges Lopez-Cisneros was chosen as the 2024 Napa County Woman of the Year. Every year, Rep. Thompson selects inspiring women from California’s Fourth District to recognize their outstanding work and effort to make our community a better place over the last year.
“Maria Cisneros has worked tirelessly to improve access to education for all Napa County residents,” said Thompson. “She has been an advocate of programs that support first-generation college-bound students. Over her 29 years in the Napa Valley Unified School District, she has been critical in implementing the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program and increasing the number of students attending Summer Search. It is a combination of her wisdom, compassion, and strength that makes her such a great leader. I am proud to recognize her as Napa County’s Woman of the Year.”
The Woman of the Year Recognition Ceremony was started in honor of Women’s History Month to recognize the service of women in our community.
Women’s History Month has its origin in California’s Fourth District. In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women coordinated a “Woman’s History Week” during the week of March 8th to correspond with International Women’s Day. In 1980, a group of Sonoma County women founded the National Women’s History Project (NWHP) in Santa Rosa, California. The goal of this organization was to highlight and recognize the historical national achievements made by women.
In partnership with other women advocacy groups and historians, the NWHP successfully lobbied for national recognition, with President Jimmy Carter declaring the week of March 8th as National Women’s History Week. After this accomplishment, the NWHP began advocating for the entire month of March to be designated as Women’s History Month. Seven years later, Congress officially passed legislation designating the entire month of March as Women’s History Month. Every year since, Women’s History Month has been recognized in March to uplift and celebrate the incredible contributions and accomplishments of American women.
A complete list of 2024 winners include:
Ana Santana – Lake County
Maria Cisneros – Napa County
Jill Orr – Solano County
Karen Collins – Sonoma County
Karen Urbano – Yolo County