The Southern California Leadership Network honored Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) with its Elected Leader of the Year Award along with four other distinguished community leaders at its December 4 annual Southern California Visionaries luncheon, the premier community leadership event in the region.

“I sincerely thank the Southern California Leadership Network for this honor, and I commend this wonderful organization for its successful efforts to enhance the quality of life in our communities through the development of visionary leadership and collaborative skills.  I also congratulate my fellow honorees for their outstanding leadership and many contributions to our community.”

The Southern California Leadership Network presents awards to individuals in the Southern California region who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in civic leadership, and celebrates those whose vision has inspired action, collaboration and positive community outcomes. 

The other honorees are: Former California Governor George Deukmejian who received the Lifetime Achievement award; Thomas Priselac, President & CEO, Cedars-Sinai Health System, who received the Southern California Leader of the Year award; Shelley Freeman, Regional President, Wells Fargo, who received the Excellence in Civic Leadership award; and Karen Baker, Executive Director, CaliforniaVolunteers, who received the Graduate of the Year award.

“Outstanding leadership takes many forms, as is seen by the wide range of experience reflected in our honorees today,” said Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Gary Toebben.  “Whether exhibited from elected office, corporate America or the world of nonprofit management, good leadership is visionary, and is vital to affecting positive change.”

Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) received the honor in recognition of the countless ways in which she has affected change in California during her six years of representation in the California State Assembly and subsequent 15 years in Congress.
 
“The Southern California Visionaries awards luncheon allows us all to take a step back and acknowledge the tremendous work being done in our communities,” said SCLN Chair Tony Buzzelli.  “It is precisely by looking through the lens of such outstanding leaders, that we all become better leaders in our own endeavors.”

Born and raised in Boyle Heights, Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard became the first Mexican-American woman elected to Congress in 1992.  The congresswoman went on to become the first Latina in U.S. history appointed to the Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful committees in Congress.  Today, she serves on three influential subcommittees – the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies and the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.  As an appropriator, she works hard to secure federal funding for important local initiatives in the congressional district and throughout the Los Angeles region.

The Southern California Leadership Network (SCLN), a partnership with the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, is the region’s premier provider of leadership training.  SCLN’s two programs, Leadership L.A. and Leadership Southern California, have already equipped more than 900 civic-minded thinkers with the community and regional collaboration skills necessary to address quality of life issues including traffic, water, clean air, education and public safety.  Combined, they form one of the most diverse networks of deeply engaged civic, business and government leaders in Southern California.

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