Hillary Hauser and Dr. Leah Stokes to be honored by AWC-SB
Hillary Hauser, left, executive director of Heal the Ocean, is being honored as a a climate champion by the Association for Women in Communications Santa Barbara chapter. AWCSB is honoring Leah Stokes, center, an associate professor at UCSB, as a climate champion. KEYT-TV anchor Beth Farnsworth, right, will host the AWC-SB Women of Achievement Awards.
Hillary Hauser and Dr. Leah Stokes will be honored as climate champions by the Association for Women in Communications Santa Barbara chapter at its 15th annual AWC-SB Women of Achievement Awards presented by Women Connect4Good.
The luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. April 27 at Cabrillo Pavilion, 1118 E. Cabrillo Blvd, Santa Barbara. The program’s theme is “Climate Champions: Bold Communication for a Sustainable Future.”
The event takes place just a few days before the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival, which was founded in 1970 after a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara drew national attention and galvanized the environmental movement.
Tickets are $75 for members and $85 for nonmembers. After March 17, prices will increase to $85 for members and $95 for nonmembers. They are available at www.awcsb.org.
Beth Farnsworth, a KEYT-TV anchor and 2019 AWC-SB Women of Achievement award recipient, will emcee the event.
“This is an honor that takes every one of my words away!” Ms. Hauser said. “As a longtime writer/journalist, this feels like I’ve just been awarded the ‘Oscar of writing.’ I’m very humbled to be among the great women recognized by this association.”
Ms. Hauser is an accomplished diving photojournalist who co-founded the nonprofit Heal the Ocean in 1998. As executive director, she has led the organization’s extraordinary success in protecting the ocean, focusing on wastewater infrastructure — sewers and septic systems — as well as ocean dumping practices that have contributed to ocean pollution. She is outspoken about climate change and the urgent need to plan for sea level rise.
Dr. Stokes is an associate professor at UCSB whose work focuses on energy, climate and environmental politics. Her recent book, “Short Circuiting Policy,” was named the Best Energy Book of 2020 by the American Energy Society, listed as a Top 5 climate book for 2020 by the New York Times and won three awards from the American Political Science Association.
For her engaged scholarship, Dr. Stokes was recently recognized on the 2022 TIME100 Next and Business Insider Climate Action 30 lists. Her academic work is published in top journals and is widely read and cited. She is quoted frequently in national media, has written for top outlets including the New York Times and hosts a popular climate podcast, “A Matter of Degrees.”
“We are in a race to address the climate crisis and keep our planet habitable,” Dr. Stokes said. “Our greatest challenge is to transform politics and policy — effectively and equitably — so that climate solutions become our default choices. To do so, we need powerful storytelling that invites us to give up despair, find a climate community and take meaningful action. That’s why I devote much of my career to speaking, podcasting and writing for a popular audience and why I’m deeply honored to be recognized by AWC-SB this year.”
Presenting the Women of Achievement Awards is one of the ways AWC-SB strives to empower women. By recognizing exemplary women communicators, the event provides inspiring role models for women who are pursuing careers in journalism, public speaking, writing, public relations, filmmaking, photography and related disciplines.
Past honorees include Luz Reyes-Martin, former Santa Barbara City College public affairs director, former Goleta Union School Board member and current Goleta City Council member; Ms. Farnsworth, KEYT journalist and anchor; Hannah-Beth Jackson, retired state senator; Lois Capps, retired congresswoman; Helene Schneider, former Santa Barbara mayor; Dr. Carrie Hutchinson; Paula Lopez; Lynda Weinman and Catherine Remak.
Funds raised at this event support ongoing professional development opportunities offered by AWC-SB throughout the year. AWC-SB hosts monthly meetings for its members and guests featuring topics that help communicators hone their skills and stay up-to-date with important developments in the technology, practice and ethics of communications.
AWC-SB is governed by an all-volunteer board. The 2022-23 board of directors is led by Lisa Osborn. Other board members include Lauren Bianchi Klemann, Leslie Dinaberg, Carolyn Jabs, Monica Kunz, Hilary S. Lyn, Jennifer LeMay and Joan Tapper.
“This year’s honorees are powerful women leading the way in changing how we view and respond to the climate crisis,” Ms. Osborn said. “Through their bold storytelling, they’ve transformed politics and policies, inspiring hope rather than despair and mobilizing communities into action for meaningful change. Their unwavering dedication pushes the movement forward, testifying to their leadership and earning them recognition as Women of Achievement.”
email: mmcmahon@newspress.com
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For more information about AWC-SB and to purchase tickets to the Women of Achievement Awards, visit www.awcsb.org.
