League of Women Voters honors Citizens of Achievement

SAN BERNARDINO

At the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino Area’s Oct. 6. Citizens of Achievement Civic Engagement Award ceremony are, front row, from left, Heather Abushanab, president of AAUW Redlands branch, recipient of the Civic Engagement Award; and Citizens of Achievement honorees Nefertiti Long, Geraldine “Gerri Foxall-Kater, Stacey Barnier, Niki Dettman and Tansu Philip. In the second row, from left, are Kathy Ervin, president of the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino Area; and AAUW Redlands branch members Cassie MacDuff, Ellen Timothy, Susan Burnett, Kay Dobbertin, Amy Bisek, Nan Neighbours, Ellen Gruenbaum, Sheron Bealer, Kathryn Brown and Twillea Evans-Carthen, who is also a League of Women Voters member. Courtesy of Twillea Evans-Carthen

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From staff reports

The League of Women Voters of San Bernardino Area recently honored five Citizens of Achievement and presented its Civic Engagement Award.

More than 130 people attended the awards event, held Oct. 6 at the Sterling Natural Resource Center in San Bernardino, according to a news release.

This year’s Citizens of Achievement Awards went to Stacey Barnier, Niki Dettman, Geraldine “Gerri” Foxall-Kater, Nefertiti Long and Tansu Philip, and the Civic Engagement Award went to the Redlands branch of the American Association of University Women.

Members of the AAUW Redlands branch attending the event included Heather Abushanab, branch president, and Cassie MacDuff, Ellen Timothy, Susan Burnett, Kay Dobbertin, Amy Bisek, Nan Neighbours, Ellen Gruenbaum, Sheron Bealer and Kathryn Brown.

The program was coordinated by Twillea Evans-Carthen, chairman for the League of Women Voters’ Citizens of Achievement and Civic Engagement awards, with committee members Kathy Ervin, president of the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino Area, and Betsy Starbuck, Scott Starbuck and Jill Vassilakos-Long.

Citizens of Achievement

Stacey Barnier, chief human resources officer for San Bernardino County Employees’ Retirement Association, serves on the board of the Foothill Rebels Rugby Club and prepares meals for players at home games. She is also a member of Rancho Cucamonga High School’s Fourth Quarter Club booster organization for the school’s football team.

Niki Dettman is chief executive officer of Making Hope Happen Foundation and serves on the executive board of the Home of Neighborly Service. She is also secretary of the board of directors of the San Bernardino High School Alumni Association.

Geraldine “Gerri” Foxall-Kater, a former president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, is involved in community projects including community cleanup, tree planting, collecting children’s books and working with the annual Blood of the Martyrs blood drive. She also promotes activities to conduct voter registration drives and voter education.

Nefertiti Long is president and a founding member of the Alliance of Black Women Accountants, focusing on increasing representation in accounting and finance. She provides mentorship to young women interested in accounting or finance and awards scholarships.

Tansu Philip is co-founder of Viva La Boba tea and coffee shop in San Bernardino and is an actor, comedian and community advocate. She also volunteers with Family Service Association of Redlands.

For information about the League of Women Voters of San Bernardino Area, go to my.lwv.org/california/san-bernardino-area.