by TImothy Rutt
Congressman Adam Schiff today honored eleven Outstanding Women of the Year from the 29th Congressional District in a luncheon in Pasadena, including two from Altadena.
Zoning and planning consultant and uber-volunteer Carolyn Ingram Seitz and author/performer/activist Ellen Snortland were both honored for their contributions to the community in the luncheon.
Schiff also entered each of the women's tributes in the Congressional Record.
Of Seitz, Schiff wrote:
Not long after she moved into Altadena (in the year 2000), Ms. Seitz became involved in the community, advocating for community safety, and working with the Altadena Sheriff’s Department and community members on neighborhood nuisance and other issues. She worked with her neighbors to form a neighborhood watch, and helped other neighborhoods prepare and be organized for cataclysmic events or natural disasters. Carolyn has also assisted with organizing Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) trainings, which offer drills, trainings and refreshers throughout the year. She is the Altadena Sheriff’s Station CERT Coordinator, a member of the Regional CERT working group and sits on the Los Angeles County Operational Area Disaster Corps Volunteers Advisory Council. When the Station Fire occurred, Ms. Seitz worked tirelessly for many hours to ensure that the community had updated information on the fire, and the probable impacts caused by the rain that would result in flooding and mudflows.
Carolyn was appointed as the Chairwoman of the Altadena Sheriff’s Community Advisory Committee in 2007. In 2010 she brought together the California Highway Patrol, American Red Cross, Pasadena Police Department and community members to a successful Neighborhood Watch Conference, which she organized at Loma Alta Park in Altadena. Along with her extensive volunteer work with the Altadena Sheriff’s Department, Carolyn contributes many hours to organizations such as the Quality of Life Center, Inc., Mentoring and Partnership for Youth Development, the Altadena Chamber of Commerce and the Central Altadena Little League. Recognized for her work in improving sheriff-community relations, Ms. Seitz has also been honored with the Altadena Chamber of Commerce’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award in 2010.
Of Snortland, Schiff wrote:
Ellen has spent her life following a variety of passions ranging from human rights to journalism to self defense. Ms. Snortland received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Irvine in Theater and Film, and later a Juris Doctor (JD) from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles. After graduating, Ellen decided that she could provide the most service to her community as an advocate for women and children, a teacher, performer and media professional.
Ms. Snortland is the author of Beauty Bites Beast, which has been translated in Portuguese and Spanish, featured on Dateline NBC, and sold around the world. Ellen has also performed “Now That She’s Gone,” a one-woman show, which is a touching piece about family and forgiveness, and in 2008, was nominated for a Pulitzer in Drama. She has performed this show in New York, Los Angeles, Kansas, and France among other cities, states and countries.
She is currently a Board Member and lead female instructor for IMPACT personal safety, and teaches young boys and girls how to defend themselves from predators, both physically and verbally. She provides valuable services to our youth which they can draw from for their entire lives.
Ellen’s accomplishments and roles in our community are innumerable. She serves on the Board of 50/50 Leadership and Consumer Watchdog, and is the Past President of the United Nations Association, Pasadena/Foothills Chapter. Ellen attended the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa, in the year of 2001, and the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women for many years as part of the U.N. Press Corps as well as a NGO delegate.
Today, Ms. Snortland is a columnist for the Pasadena Weekly and a blogger for Ms. Magazine and Huffington Post. Ellen’s work has been exceptional, and has proven that one woman can truly achieve all she sets her mind to.
Other honorees include Joanna Vargas (Alhambra), Nancy E. Guillen (Burbank), Debra Suh (Glendale), Diane Gin (Monterey Park), Denise Houlemard Jones (Pasadena), Eleanor K. Andrews (San Gabriel), Kay Mouradian (South Pasadena), Gretchen Robinette (South Pasadena), and Eva Arrighi (Temple City).
