Sacramento– Today, 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,” said Mathis. “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.”
Elizabeth credits her first encounter with a culture of community service to her time at QK (Planning/Engineering/ Architectural Consultants) of Visalia in the early 90’s whose leadership encouraged staff to find their passion and serve on volunteer boards. During that time she was awarded Young Visalia of the Year for community service by the Visalia Jaycees and was a founding board member of Naz Sports, a large local youth sport organization.
In early 2000, 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, California to provide leadership and direction for the Visalia Emergency Aid Council. She led the organization through a major building campaign for a 6,000 sq.ft. pantry and new administrative offices that have been a critical resource in distributing food to a record number of families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.
“It truly is an honor to recognize the amazing contributions of Liz Wynn throughout my district,” said Mathis. “As we continue to overcome the challenges this pandemic has thrown at us all, it’s so uplifting to know that we have unwavering community leaders, like my dear friend Liz, continuing to work to make our communities a better place.”
Elizabeth 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 healthcare 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 healthcare.”
