The Women of Achievement Awards celebrate the incredible women in our community who inspire, challenge and break barriers every day. Read on for information about our 2024 honorees plus photos from our amazing Women of Achievement Awards event.
2024 Women of Achievement Honorees
Margaret Anderson – Government and Public Service
Margaret has taken leadership roles and dedicated countless hours to the local community, school, and agricultural business organizations, being instrumental in restructuring and fundraising efforts.
Margaret is a fifth-generation Rio Vistan and has a deep love for our community and its agricultural heritage. Margaret’s strengths are her willingness to serve, and her supportive, fair, and thoughtful approach to finding the best solutions while supporting her colleagues.
Professionally, Margaret worked for the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, a non-profit organization with a mission to increase awareness and understanding of agriculture among California’s educators and students. She served for many years on the Rio Vista CARE board. Margaret is also a Master Gardener and a partner with her husband Ian of E.A. Anderson & Son (Ranch/Farm).
Andrea Brimmer – Young Women Leader
Andrea received her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance from California Lutheran University in 2023. During her junior year, Andrea founded the highly active Women of Business Club at Cal Lutheran. She was Captain of the cheerleading squad, a repeat participant and winner at the New Venture Fair, and represented the university at the European Innovation Academy in Porto, Portugal in 2022. She currently sits on the Dean’s Advisory Council and serves as Executive Sponsor of the Women of Business Club at Cal Lutheran.
Andrea is currently a Wealth Associate and is in the esteemed Management Development Program at Wilmington Trust. She is also the founder of HortiTech, an AgTech startup for which she negotiated a licensing agreement with NASA during her senior year. Andrea is passionate about moving women forward and driving impactful change.
Jeannie McCormack – Science, Technology and Agriculture
Jeannie is the third generation of her family to steward the 3,700-acre McCormack Ranch on the banks of the Sacramento River. In addition to raising sheep humanely, Jeannie and her husband Al Medvitz also produce wine grapes and small grains using an agricultural approach brought from Scotland in the 1800s by her grandfather and his brothers. According to an online Business Wine article, “Their unique approach uses very little irrigation, combining dryland crops with grazing livestock, they’ve created a sustainable and regenerative process for constantly replenishing the soil, maintaining clean waterways, preserving wildlife habitat and mitigating the effects of climate change.”
Over the years, Jeannie has quietly contributed to the community in many ways, most notably, by hosting the Sheepdog Trials. In this endeavor, she meticulously ensured that all contributing Rio Vista non-profits received proceeds from the event.
Stacia Olson – Business and Industry
Stacia has volunteered for several non-profits in various capacities. She is currently serving as the President of the Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce. Stacia has served on the Bass Derby and Festival Board since 2014 and was event chair in 2023. Her endeavors also include the 1st Step Mental Health Collaborative created with her business partner, Rio Vista High School Site Council and Booster Club, Riverview Middle School Site Council and PTC, Isleton School Site Council and PTA, Girl Scout Leader, and Soroptimist International of Rio Vista.
Professionally, Stacia has excelled in real estate for the past twenty-two years, and she has gained extensive knowledge of the Delta California region. Stacia has successfully applied that local knowledge to her fundraising and organizational efforts with the Rio Vista Chamber of Commerce and her fifteen years as a member of Soroptimist International of Rio Vista, where Stacia took on many leadership roles and was a talented fundraiser.
Maureen Reis – Community Enhancement
As a Future Farmers of America (FFA) advisor and teacher at Rio Vista High School, Maureen has spent countless hours over the years outside her classroom, coordinating numerous fundraising projects, to fund activities beyond her Agriculture Science department budget.
Maureen’s mentorship and dedication have taught skills that students will use later in life, such as salesmanship, customer service, money management, and cost accounting. She has also served as Livestock Superintendent at the Dixon May Fair.
Maureen’s award-winning ranch business, Rocking 4R Boer Goats, is a source of project animals for Agriculture Students throughout California. The ranch also provides students an opportunity to experience an agriculturally based business through work experience.
Gwendolyn Sampson Brown – Community and Social Justice
Gwendolyn surpassed her father’s advice to “Be a Nurse.” She is an excellent role model in every aspect of her life – nursing, mentoring, volunteering, acting, producing, wife, mother, and grandmother.
Gwendolyn recently completed her Doctor of Nursing Practice and is currently a Clinical Nurse Manager as well as a Professor of Psychiatric Nursing. She is also a volunteer instructor for the Contra Costa National Alliance on Mental Illness. Gwendolyn is well-disciplined and devoted to her patients and trainees.
Gwendolyn still finds time for her love of theater and performs locally in Trilogy theater productions, is the Executive Manager of the Pittsburg Theatre Company, and produces for the Onstage Martinez Theater Group.
Amy Schmidt – Arts and Culture
Amy is an accomplished, and award-winning multi-media artist, photographer, and jewelry designer.
Amy was one of the initial curators of the RioVision Gallery beginning in 2016. Over fifteen years Amy has taken on an exceptionally large burden of responsibilities, creating one of the best and most successful art galleries in the Delta.
Few women put themselves out there as Amy does with no fanfare. She has enabled so many projects, such as the downtown art murals in Rio Vista. She is effective, informed, and willing to climb tall ladders to make things happen.
Katherine (Kathy) Wright – Education
Kathy became Superintendent of River Delta Unified School District in July 2019. In March 2020, COVID-19 closed schools for the next year and a half. She led the district, students, and staff through unprecedented challenges, even personally delivering lunches to students and families throughout the district.
Having grown up in Rio Vista, Kathy deeply understands the community she serves. She is fearless in taking on challenging situations. She understands people and the field of education, including recent research, educational strategies, and California education laws.
She has served in various high-level educational capacities in the district as well as a School Improvement Facilitator for WestEd School and School Improvement Grant implementation and leadership coach in Stockton Unified.
Celebrating Women of Achievement: A Triumphant Event
The May 19 Women of Achievement Awards was a spectacular success, epitomizing the spirit of excellence and community empowerment. Held by Soroptimist International of Rio Vista at the picturesque Delta Diamond Farms, the event served as a beacon of inspiration and a testament to the extraordinary contributions of women to our society.
We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the distinguished honorees: Margaret Anderson, Andrea Brimmer, Jeannie McCormack, Stacia Olson, Maureen Reis, Gwendolyn Sampson, Amy Schmidt, and Kathy Wright. These remarkable women have not only made significant strides in their respective fields but have also left an indelible mark on our society. Their achievements inspire, challenge, and break barriers, serving as a beacon of hope and motivation for all.
Special thanks to our keynote speaker, Assemblywoman Lori D. Wilson, for an inspiring keynote. Assemblywoman Wilson captivated the audience with her powerful message, emphasizing the importance of community engagement, resilience, and innovation. Her speech highlighted everyone’s pivotal role in driving positive change and encouraged everyone to take actionable steps toward making a difference in their respective spheres.In pursuing a more equitable and vibrant community, it is crucial to pause, reflect, and celebrate the phenomenal women who pave the way forward. Their leadership and dedication are the bedrock of progress and innovation and serve as role models for future generations.
Attendee Katherine Dragicevic eloquently captured the essence of the event, saying, “Today I had the pleasure of attending Soroptimist International of Rio Vista’s First Annual Women of Achievement Awards luncheon at the gorgeous Delta Diamond Farms. Many of the recipients of these awards are friends that I greatly admire. These women get things done while supporting and uplifting others in their communities. They most definitely make the world a better place through their contributions.”
The ceremony was a tapestry of heartwarming stories, evoking laughter, tears, and a profound sense of community pride. As we listened to the honorees’ narratives and accomplishments, we were reminded of the incredible potential that resides within our community. Their stories are our stories, their triumphs are our triumphs, and their challenges are our challenges. We are united in our shared purpose of creating a more equitable and vibrant community.
Katherine continued, “The ceremony was full of great stories that made people laugh and even to tears. The women, their stories, and their accomplishments were all inspirational and uplifting. We live in an incredible community—cheers to the ladies of Rio Vista Soroptimist for putting on a flawless event. Not a single detail was overlooked. It was a fabulous afternoon.”
Indeed, the Women of Achievement Awards was more than just an event; it was a celebration of the relentless spirit and unyielding dedication of women who make our community a better place. We are deeply grateful to those who attended and gave support and presence, which made this celebration even more meaningful. Here’s to the continued success of these extraordinary women and to many more future celebration moments.