Elizabeth Wynn is the 26th Assembly District’s 2021 Woman of the Year for her work career of community service
VISALIA – Elizabeth Wynn spent a portion of her career serving youth and disadvantaged families in the Seattle area but most of her three decades in community service and nonprofit leadership took place in Visalia.
Earlier this month, Assemblymember Devon Mathis (R-Visalia) named Elizabeth Wynn as the 26th Assembly District’s 2021 Woman of the Year.
“Elizabeth Wynn’s commitment to bless her community through service is inspiring. She strengthens the valley as she works for everyone’s right to access to health care, food, shelter, and education,” Mathis said. “To say that Elizabeth, or Liz as I know her, is a helpful individual is a huge understatement. I have seen her work for hours, days, and weeks on projects and events just to make sure they were perfect. It’s not always easy to recognize a single person as a community leader; however, it’s quite simple in Liz’s case.”
In early 2000s, Liz spent time in the Seattle, Washington area working with local community groups to launch two nonprofits serving youth and disadvantaged individuals. She returned home to Visalia in 2014 to provide leadership and direction for the Visalia Emergency Aid Council (VEAC). Under Wynn’s leadership, VEAC broke ground on a new 6,000-square foot warehouse in 2018. VEAC’s facility dated back to 1931 when the VEAC was built on the former offices and personnel barracks for CalFire. Visalia’s population was just 7,300 and has grown to more than 130,000. Today, VEAC provides food for 1,100 families each month.
“It truly is an honor to recognize the amazing contributions of Liz Wynn throughout my district,” Mathis said. “As we continue to overcome the challenges that this pandemic has thrown at us all, it’s so uplifting to know that we have unwavering community leaders, like my dear friend Liz, who continues to work to make our communities a better place.”
Her years of service and volunteer activities are numerous and include serving on the Visalia Education Foundation Board, Visalia Chamber of Commerce Christmas Tree Auction Chair, Visalia Church of the Nazarene Building Committee Treasurer, Kaweah Delta Community Advisory Committee, Rotary Club of Visalia Board of Directors and president, City of Visalia Planning Policy Task Force, City of Visalia Housing Element Task Force and Chair and Commissioner of the City of Visalia Planning Commission. Elizabeth is a College of Sequoias Hall of Fame Inductee.
Wynn has a degree in Business Management from Fresno Pacific University. She serves the community as a Planning Commissioner for the City of Visalia and as a board member of the Rotary Club of Visalia. She is also a volunteer on Kaweah Delta’s Community Relations Community Advisory Committee.
Wynn currently serves as director of the Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation whose mission it is to support the needs of the Kaweah Delta Hospital District. Philanthropic support has been an essential part of their growth, and has helped them save countless lives. Investments from the community assist their efforts to equip their facility with the latest technology that allows patients to remain in the local area while receiving care. Elizabeth believes, “Everyone deserves quality health care and my role at the Foundation is to work with community members, private foundations and government entities to find ways to fund the needs of the district in their mission to provide excellence in health care.”
Wynn is responsible for directing and overseeing all fundraising through the Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation, which was created in 1979 to help Kaweah Delta achieve excellence in patient care through fundraising from the hospital family and the community. Since that time the nonprofit Foundation, with its appointed board of directors, has raised over $60 million in support of Kaweah Delta. The Foundation raises funds through personal solicitation, grants, special events, direct mail, and social media appeals as well as through future, planned gifts such as bequests.
