The Stanislaus County Commission for Women named Stanislaus State President Ellen Junn as one of its eight 2020 Outstanding Women of Stanislaus County.
Videos celebrating the inspiring awardees were shared today to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ratification of U.S. Constitution’s 19th Amendment, which granted women in the United States the right to vote. The videos are available on the organization’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
“We wanted to post the videos on the anniversary of the 19th Amendment,” said Ruhi Sheikh, the commission’s vice president of membership. “It was our way of drawing attention to these amazing women.”
The women were selected based on their work, beyond the scope of their jobs, to support women and children in the community. Their selection was initially announced in February and a brunch to honor them was scheduled for March. Due to COVID-19, the commission instead decided to promote this year’s winners through uplifting video messages.
“Since they didn’t get to have the brunch, we wanted to do something so the community could get to know them better,” Sheikh said. “The videos aren’t long, just a little inspiration for other women to get involved in the community. They share who inspired them to go the extra mile, and they talk about what they do in the community.”
One of President Junn’s recent initiatives at the University was to create the President’s First-Generation Scholarships for students living in the Valley. Her service to the community, however, extends well beyond her role as Stan State president.
She serves on the board of directors for the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley, a governor-appointed board charged with collaboratively partnering with key Central Valley constituencies to initiate, recommend and advocate for a prosperous economy, quality environment and social equity throughout the region. Junn also serves as president of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and is a member of the Stanislaus Community Foundation’s Cradle to Career Leadership Team, ITHAKA Higher Education Insights, the California Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association for Psychological Science.
Junn was nominated by Diana Demetrulias, who served as vice provost for Stan State from 1992 to 2010 and now owns Higher Education Accreditation Consultant Services. Others recognized by the commission as an Outstanding Woman of 2020 are: Angelica Anguiano, Joanna Esparza, Augusta Farley, Dr. Arlaine Barcelona-Gutierrez, Amy Pezzoni, Judie Piscitello and Monica Vergara. Additionally, Lauren Edh and Jasmin Tello-Esparza were named Outstanding Young Women, and Mary Giventer, the late wife of Stan State emeritus faculty member Lawrence L. Giventer, was named the Woman of History.