17th Annual Premier Santa Barbara Women’s Event to Honor Five Community Arts Leaders

Santa Barbara, CA – The Association for Women in Communications – Santa Barbara (AWC-SB) will honor five distinguished creatives building community through the arts at the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon: Adriana Arriaga, visual artist, entrepreneur, and activist; Teresa Kuskey, Founder/Artistic Director of La Boheme Dance; Frances Moore, Co-founder/Artistic Director, Santa Barbara Ringshout Project; Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate; and Joanne Wasserman, Artistic Director and Conductor, Santa Barbara Choral Society. The honorees’ disciplines include visual art, dance, choral music, traditional ringshout song and movement, and poetry.

The 17th Annual  Women of Achievement awards luncheon is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Women Connect4Good.

This year’s Women of Achievement honorees represent the 2025 Women of Achievement theme, “Creative Communication: Building Community Through the Arts.” As individuals and collectively, they employ the arts as an impactful form of communication and a way to bring people together to build community.

The luncheon will take place at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at Cabrillo Pavilion and will feature performances, an art exhibition, and poetry reading showcasing the honorees’ community-building artistic work. Caroline Feraday, award-winning journalist at KCLU Radio, will emcee the event.

The annual Women of Achievement Awards recognize exemplary women communicators, providing inspiring role models for women pursuing careers in journalism, public speaking, writing, public relations, filmmaking, photography, and related disciplines. 

“This year we look forward to honoring these five women, each a beacon of creativity and strength, who use their art to weave threads of connection that unite us all. Through the power of creative communication, they build communities that celebrate diversity, inspire collaboration, and transform the world around them,” said Brooke Holland, AWC-SB Board Member and Women of Achievement Co-Chair.

The 2025 Women of Achievement Luncheon is supported by sponsors Women Connect4Good / Dr. Nancy O’Reilly; the Santa Barbara Independent; Brooks and Kate Firestone; Natalie Orfalea Foundation; Santa Barbara Foundation; La Boheme Productions / Oshay Family Foundation; Santa Barbara Choral Society Board; Montecito Bank & Trust; KCSB-FM; and Montecito Journal. 

Limited additional sponsorship opportunities are available until April 10 — interested potential sponsors may email news@awcsb.org for more information.

Tickets to the luncheon are available at AWC-SB Women of Achievement. Tickets cost $100 for AWC-SB members, $110 for non-members through April 15. After April 15, prices will be $110 for AWC-SB members and $125 for non-members. Funds raised support ongoing professional development opportunities offered by AWC-SB throughout the year.  

Community members may learn more about becoming a member of AWC-SB at https://awcsb.org/become-a-member/.

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.

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ATTACHED: 2025 AWC-SBWomen of Achievement honoree bios and photos, and past Women of Achievement award recipients.

ABOUT AWC-SB 

The Association for Women in Communications – Santa Barbara (AWC-SB) empowers women to develop and deepen the communication skills they need to succeed in a variety of fields. Members enjoy educational and networking opportunities to elevate their careers, enhance personal growth, and become agents of change. Now an independent organization, AWC-SB served for many years as the award-winning local chapter of the national Association for Women in Communications and is governed by an all-volunteer board.

AWC-SB members include journalists and broadcasters, entrepreneurs, designers and marketers, authors, corporate communicators, photographers, coaches, and public relations experts. AWC-SB offers opportunities to network with colleagues, hosts monthly meetings (free for members) featuring experts on current topics, and presents the annual Women of Achievement Awards event. Visit awcsb.org to learn more.

AWC-SB was founded in 2006 by communications consultant Lois Phillips, publisher Mindy Bingham, and producer Deborah Hutchison. They saw the need for a dynamic, local organization that crossed sectors to bring together professional communicators, solopreneurs, scholars, and corporate communicators as well as student communicators.