Woman of the Year

The Woman of the Year Award was established in 1949 by the Burbank Women's Council. The Zonta Club of Burbank Area took over the award in 1996 when the Council disbanded. The award and its accompanying luncheon event were suspended by the Zonta Club in 2017.

The award sought to recognize women who were leaders and achievers in volunteer efforts in Burbank. Women of the Year recipients advanced the status of women by being at the forefront of the many initiatives and organizations that improved the day-to-day quality of life for the Burbank community.

Woman of the Year Recipients

Elta Pfister

Adele Hinshaw

Ruth Davis

Evelyn Briggs

Eleanor Hiller

Shirley Binnard

Susan Lundstrom

Maxine Gritzner

Sarah Bartold

Alvina Otwell

Mae Horn

Gerry Davis

Aris McGown

Grace Andrews

Adele Seltzer

Erma Alconn

Freide Hekfer

Eileen Marmont

Mary Davis

Lois Reedy

Barbara Wolleck

Dorothy Detweiler

Connie Dent

Nettie Roten

Mary Green

Helen Curnow

Mary Kelsey

Elaine Paonessa

Bernice Gierke

Barbara Handley

Florence Hill

Tomme Lenz

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1975

1976

1978

1980

1981

1982

1983

Carol Murphy

Margaret Lee

Penny Forbes

Patricia Gunn

Mary Lou Stefano

Walley McGovern

Judy Day

Patty Reardon

Marsha Ramos

Marsha Jackson

Florence Nos

Julia Larson

Joan Ortiz

Mary Jane Strickland

Mary Alice O'Connor

Sister Lucille Dean

TJ Baptie

Mary Rago

Mary Alvord

Lucy Burghdorf

Barbara Howell

Women in the Military:

Sabrina Baylor

Doris Vick

Tiana Yonan

Judith Arandes

Shanna Warren

Rebecca Mieliwocki

Jamie Keyser Thomas

Zita Lefebvre

Carol Liu

1984

1985

1986

1988

1989

1991

1993

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Woman of the Year 1978 Elaine Paonessa	Woman of the Year 2002 Mary Jane Strickland	Woman of the Year 2003 Mary Alice O'Connor	Woman of the Year 2007 Mary Alvord
Woman of the Year 2008 Lucy Burghdorf	Woman of the Year 2009 Barbara Howell	Women of the Year 2010 Doris Vick, Sabrina Baylor, Tiana Yonan	Woman of the Year 2011 Judith Arandes
Woman of the Year 2012 Shanna Warren	Woman of the Year 2014 Jamie Keyser Thomas	Woman of the Year 2016 Carol Liu