SACRAMENTO – Today Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) announced that East Palo Alto Councilmember Lisa Gauthier is the 24th Assembly District ‘Woman of the Year’. As a way to highlight outstanding women during Women’s History Month, legislators select one exceptional woman from each Assembly District to honor for her contributions to the community and the state of California. Lisa Gauthier, Vice President of Partner Success at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, is an elected Council Member and former two-time Mayor of the City of East Palo Alto in the 24th Assembly District.
“I am so excited to recognize Councilmember Lisa Gauthier as Woman of the Year from the 24th Assembly District,” said Assemblymember Berman. “I have seen firsthand Lisa’s extraordinary commitment to serving her constituents, from volunteering almost every night at food distributions to working with community partners to increase access to vaccines and address underlying factors that create vaccine hesitancy in underserved communities. Lisa has been a good friend since we were first elected to neighboring city councils in 2012, and I’m so grateful for her selfless dedication to the residents of East Palo Alto.”
Councilmember Gauthier is inspired by the quote from Mother Teresa, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately impacted the members of her community, Councilmember Gauthier went above and beyond to do everything she could to meet the daily needs of her constituents. In addition to her professional and city council duties, Councilmember Gauthier was an almost daily fixture at the nightly meal distribution at the Boys & Girls Club site in East Palo Alto. In addition, she worked closely with public and private entities to bring vaccine clinics into East Palo Alto, helping increase awareness and alleviate concerns that residents had about getting the vaccine and making it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated.
“Showing up for others is something that is important to me,” said Councilmember Gauthier. “The work that impacts our communities does not happen in silos; it takes the work of many. I am grateful for the opportunity to assist where I can. In the end, I probably get more out of the community interaction than I give.”
Councilmember Gauthier is an active board member with the Health Trust, Live in Peace, the City and County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services, Stanford Medicine Community Council, San Mateo County Flood and Sea Level Rise Resiliency Agency, and the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority. She is a graduate of Emerge, a leadership program for democratic women, and a Regional Area Director for Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). Councilmember Gauthier was awarded the Athena Award from the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce in 2018 and was one of the recipients of the of Silicon Valley’s 100 Women of Influence award for 2020 by Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Councilmember Gauthier is the proud mother of three young adults, a longtime resident of East Palo Alto, and an active community volunteer.
Assemblymember Berman will present Councilmember Gauthier with her award at a private event later this month.
Contact: Isabelle LaSalle, 916-319-2024