The planners for the 42nd annual Women’s History Gala have announced the honorees for this year’s celebration, scheduled for March 1st in Ukiah.
The four women represent a large swath of Mendocino County and collectively, several hundred years of service and action within their respective communities. This year’s honorees are Sarah Marshall, Lynn Meadows, Susan Nutter, and Jini Reynolds.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Women Leading the Change Shaping a Sustainable Future.” The annual event has is being sponsored by the Mendocino Women’s Political Coalition, AAUW, and the Cloud Forest Institute. The event’s keynote speaker is Sally Lieber, Chairperson of the California State Board of Equalization. This year’s MC is Tess Albin-Smith, a member of the Fort Bragg City Council. The SPACE Ascend Dance Troupe will perform, under the direction of Amanda Rosenburg, as well as the Women’s Inland Chorus, with youth speaker Izzy Kirsch representing the up-and-coming generation. Kirsch was born in Ukiah and raised in Redwood Valley. She graduated from Ukiah High School in 2021. Since then, she has provided peer support in the social work field and currently works at Pinoleville Rancheria. Kirsch serves on the board of The Lot on Main, a local artist coalition, and has long been active in the local LGBTQIA2S community.
Sarah Marshall moved to Mendocino County in 2016 after graduating from the University of Michigan, where she obtained a dual degree in Sustainable Food Systems and Global Health. She was nominated for the honoree award by Mari Rodin. Marshall became the Gardens Project Manager at North Coast Opportunities and served in that role for over nine years, facilitating the growth and management of over 60 community gardeners throughout Mendocino and Lake Counties. She raised over $500,000 annually in support of the Gardens Project, supervised 21 high school interns, more than 100 volunteers, and 3 AmeriCorps/VISTA members annually.
Marshall went on to become NCO’s Food Policy and Promotions Manager, working on the county’s Food Policy Council. She expanded Caring Kitchen’s capacity to serve community members with nutritious food and partnered with the School of Adaptive Agriculture to establish the annual Farmers Market Convergence. She greatly expanded the Farmer’s Market “Market Match” program, which doubles the value of CalFresh dollars spent at Farmer’s Markets. She expanded CalFresh outreach in the county and managed the Walk and Bike Mendocino program.
As a volunteer, Marshall served on the board of Ukiah Vecinos en Accion. She serves on the 100 Women Strong and the Blue Zones Project of Mendocino County and is a member of the Ukiah Rotary Club.
Lynn Meadows is described by her nominator, Helen Sizemore, as “a cheerleading, activist visionary.” Meadows migrated to Mendocino County as part of the Back to the Land movement, and after becoming a midwife (and birthing countless babies in the region, including the daughter of this writer), she earned her Physician Assistant degree from Stanford. Her grounding in living remotely and close to nature led to the liberalization of hospital birthing practices.
A trip to Mexico in the late 80’s led to Meadow’s involvement with a clinic and an orphanage, where she lived with her husband and three children for one year. After returning to Mendocino County, Meadows became deeply involved in the care and support of George Butler and his family, former owners of the iconic Butler Ranch, famous at the time for their cherry orchard, which locals availed themselves of every season. Following a number of serious health conditions, Meadows organized care for Butler and George, who became like a second grandfather to the Meadows children.
From there, Meadows organized the creation of a Waldorf-style home and charter school- La Vida, located at the Church of the Golden Rule at Ridgewood Ranch. The ranch also became the second home for George Butler’s famed cherry trees following his death and the sale of his ranch. The cherry trees are still growing, thanks to Meadow’s foresight and commitment.
Her next project, which also continues to this day, is the formation of Hearthstone Village. The throughline for this project runs directly from her early efforts living in Mexico to a second project located in Baja, where she engaged volunteers to build a children’s home, clinic, and emergency shelter. From there, Meadows was instrumental in the founding of the Reveil Matinal Orphanage, located near Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The project bloomed following the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, when the infrastructure of the island was virtually destroyed. What started as the founding of a sister hospital in Haiti now includes the management and operation of an orphanage that has seen an entire generation of orphaned children grow from infancy to adulthood- many of the girls achieving graduation from college, something rarely occurring in Haiti.
Susan Nutter was nominated by friend and colleague Tess Albin-Smith. As an artist and sculptor of renown, Nutter is most known for what an earlier article in the Fort Bragg Advocate-News described as “making a life of extracting beauty from what many of us would simply see as lumps of clay.” She attended Stanford University, where she studied under Matt Kahn, experimenting with paint media for 40 years, until she discovered clay. She continued her studies at Skyline College, which is where her “ceramic paintings” took form. She began winning awards and participating in juried shows organized by the Pacific Rim Sculptors, the Mendocino Art Center, and Skyline College.
Her work depicts everything from stormy seas to oil spills, and she traveled the world, studying with renowned ceramicists and lone potters.
But, according to Albin-Smith, Nutter didn’t just sculpt clay; she also sculpts leaders. Over the years, Nutter discovered and encouraged dozens of candidates for local and regional political offices- candidates who went on to win elections. “I was one of them, and I owe a lot of credit to Susan for spearheading my write-in campaign- normally a low-percentage option to actually win my second term at City Council,’ says Albin-Smith.
Nutter promotes community activism via social media, writing daily messages. In 2022, she wrote: “How many of us, regardless of our political party, are committed to saving our democracy- our individual freedoms, versus how many of us support an autocracy with loss of individual freedom, except for the autocrat.”
According to nominator Katarzyna Rolzinski, Jini Reynolds is the embodiment of this year’s event theme, embodying sustainability since she moved to Mendocino County 50 years ago. During that time, she has mentored over 75 young people- mostly women in a variety of activities, including holistic farming, permaculture, and food preservation, while providing them with a communal living experience. Most recently, Reynolds has taken a lead role in revitalizing and rebuilding the Redwood Valley Grange. She is a member of the Grange Executive and Building Committee- rolling up her sleeves and garnering support following the devastating 2017 fires that affected hundreds of families in and beyond Redwood Valley.
During that time, she helped open the Grange’s formerly locked doors. It became a community building once again- a place where survivors could come and complete their insurance paperwork or receive donations. Almost singlehandedly, Reynolds announced, in every way possible, that the Grance was open- a place to access food, warmth, a place for families and children to get a much-needed break. Reynolds has become a Field Representative to the California State Grange and is a representative to the National Grange Diversity Committee.
Another goal of Reynolds is to keep her community of Redwood Valley a township, and her service as an advisor on the Redwood Valley MAC. She has worked with the Mendocino Fire Safe Council, served on numerous boards, including the Ukiah Players Theatre, COMBAT, REALITY, and the New Old-Time Chataqua. She has served hot, nutritious meals to homebound seniors through Plowshare’s Meals on Wheels program, helped to organize the iconic Simple Living and Not So Simple Living Fairs, run a youth group home, and served as a rural health aide administrator.
“I have been blessed with those that have come before me and those that have yet to come,” says Reynolds. “Sustainability to me is learning from the past and envisioning into the future. A sustainable community has always been my goal. We need farmers, ranchers, community builders, crafters, business skills, and a diverse group of people. Listen to nature, cultures, and our changing world.”
When she’s not busy serving (and saving) her community, Reynolds plays music, writes songs, and sings with the Raging Grannies and organizes countless community events. She has been a fearless advocate for youth and an ear to anyone – available to friends, family, and extended family members any time of the day or night. “She has always made sure to include young people in her service activities. I’ve heard Jini say her motto many times,” says Rolzinski. “We may not have it all together, but together, we have it all.”
The event begins with socialization, refreshments, and a silent auction, with some auction items including a wine tour, a boat tour, and an overnight stay in Napa. Proceeds from the silent auction help to promote women in politics through local outreach, mentoring, and financial support. Funds also help host candidate and educational forums, conduct community trainings, and allow the committee to donate to community organizations, causes, and emergency relief needs.
The event is being held at the SPACE Theatre, 508 West Perkins Street, in Ukiah. Doors open at noon, and the program begins at 1:00. A $10 donation is appreciated. For more information, email Janice Lombardi at jmjm3@comcast.net or phone (707) 391-7505.
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