Stanislaus County Commission for Women

03/20/2026

The Stanislaus County Commission for Women is deeply saddened by the allegations regarding the egregious acts by Cesar Chavez. We are furious that women and girls were assaulted and r***d by a man in power, and we are heartbroken that they’ve had to keep this a secret for so many years. While we know that this news reverberates across the United States, here in the Central Valley, it is devastating. Many of us have held Chavez up as an icon, we’ve taught about him in our classrooms, read his words, emulated his activism, and otherwise, held him in high esteem. All that is now in question.

We would like to acknowledge that the reprehensible actions of one man do not undo the legacy of the United Farm Workers of America. The history, actions, and ongoing advocacy of this organization will continue to protect and support farm workers across our nation, and we support them. We also support and hold up the brave women who have come forward, including Dolores Huerta, Ana Murguia, and Debra Rojas, and any women who have not yet felt empowered to do so.

We also want to continue to shine a light on other allegations against other men. The Epstein files and the people named within those files demand persistence, transparency, legal action, and justice. Men who traffic and abuse women and girls must be held accountable for their actions no matter who they are, and we cannot lose sight of that amid the myriad distractions attempting to erase the issue from our collective attention.

We cannot stay silent. We will not stay silent. And we applaud the women who, this week, are no longer silent. We believe you, and we stand with you.

03/10/2026

UPDATE: As of this morning, this Saturday’s Outstanding Women Brunch Celebration is sold out! We are happily surprised and look forward to honoring this year’s cohort of Outstanding Women & Outstanding Young Women.

02/23/2026

Congratulations to local Outstanding Woman, Patty Ramirez!

Patty Ramirez is a founding member of The Modesto Children’s Museum, serving on its board and helping to shape the museum from the start. Patty supported the early years of the Children’s Museum by organizing initial community outreach events. She co-led the charge in organizing the museum's first Launch the Adventure event that propelled the museum's capital campaign. Her six years of leadership helped establish it as a space where children and caregivers feel seen, respected, and welcomed by shaping its educational vision with a focus on bilingual access, representation, and family engagement. She continues to serve on its Advisors Circle and various committees focusing on community and fundraising events as well as educational programming. Ms. Ramirez works as an art educator for Riverbank schools, where previously she taught Spanish immersion.

02/21/2026

01/21/2026

SCCW is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Outstanding Woman Awards--a big round of applause to this stellar group of women:

* * Amy Collier Carroll * *
* * Angelina Ceja * *
* * Jocelyn Cooper * *
* * Jessica Godden * *
* * Nancy Martinez * *
* * Patty Ramirez * *
* * Marie Russell * *
* * Andrea Silva * *
* * Harleen Wahid-Dail * *

And a huge congratulations to the recipients of this year's Outstanding Young Woman Awards:

* * Zoe Byron * *
* * Sabrina Clendenin * *
* * Lily Li * *
* * Magdalena Siordia-Tapia * *

Please save the date for our Brunch Celebration—Saturday, March 14, 2026 10:00 a.m.—when we publicly acknowledge and celebrate these women and young women--and hear about the impact they've made in our communities.

01/16/2026

RIP to former CSU Stanislaus president Dr. Marvelene Hughes, who transitioned on January 3, 2026.

At CSU Stanislaus, Dr. Hughes' leadership resulted in significant growth of the campus--both in enrollment and the campus's physical footprint--as well as gains in national college rankings. Dr. Hughes was recognized as an Outstanding Woman by the SCCW in 1999.

Condolences to her family, friends, and all who were touched by her life and work.

We mourn the passing of President Emerita Dr. Marvalene Hughes, ’s eighth and longest-serving president, who served from 1994 to 2005 and passed away on Jan. 3 at the age of 88.

A trailblazer in higher education, Dr. Hughes made history as the University’s first woman and first African American president. Her visionary leadership guided a period of growth and transformation, expanding access and opportunity for students across the Central Valley and shaping the campus we know today.

Her legacy of leadership, equity and commitment to students will be remembered for generations. Our thoughts are with her family, loved ones and all those impacted by her life and service. ❤️💛

01/15/2026

✨ We’re officially at capacity! ✨

The waitlist is now open for Policy, Power & Women: A Conversation on Project 2025 with Socorro Santillan, Central Valley Director of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 6-7:30 p.m. , Queen Bean Coffee House.

Sign up to be the first notified when spots become available: https://www.stanislauswomen.net/event-list

11/26/2025

We know that YOU know people to nominate for our Outstanding Woman/Young Woman/Trailblazer awards!

Start now--deadline is 11:59 pm on January 7, 2026. See link in comments to get nomination forms & supporting documents.

11/18/2025

51 more days to submit your nominations for Stanislaus County 2026 Outstanding Woman, Outstanding Young Woman, and/or Trailblazer Awards! Deadline is 11:59 p.m. on January 7, 2026.

For more info about submissions, please visit https://www.stanislauswomen.net/outstanding-women-award

11/14/2025

Once more, with feeling! NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN for Stanislaus County Outstanding Women Awards!

Submission period closes at midnight on January 7, 2026.

Go to stanislauswomen.net for all the details!

Nominations are now OPEN for 2026 Outstanding Women & Young Women!

Be sure to nominate those superstar women who go above and beyond to promote gender equity, adequate funding for women and children’s health issues and research, ending violence against women and girls, advocating for safe and affordable child
care and child care issues, and anti-discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.

https://www.stanislauswomen.net/outstanding-women-award

07/11/2025

Join SCCW for a great evening celebrating Outstanding Young Women leaders from these organizations:
Girl Scouts, Heart of Central California
She Became
Invest In Me, &
Empower8.
Representatives from each of these powerful orgs will speak about supporting young leaders in a panel discussion.

Here's the link for the FREE registration: https://tinyurl.com/SCCW25

See you there!

07/03/2025

Join us for an evening to celebrate these amazing young leaders at BakeShop in Modesto on July 17 at 5:30. RSVP at https://tinyurl.com/SCCW25 .