Women to be honored
Three La Cañada women are among the winners of the 11th annual Women in Business Awards to be presented July 16 at the Pasadena Hilton.
Sheila Cook, Lt. Angela Shephard and Teena Hostivich will be honored during the annual luncheon hosted by state Sen. Carol Liu (D-La Cañada Flintridge) and Assemblyman Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge).
Brig. Gen. Mary J. Knight, the first female general in the California National Guard, will be the keynote speaker.
The honorees were each nominated by their respective businesses.
Initiated 11 years ago by then-state Sen. Jack Scott, the Women in Business Awards are given to women from the 43rd and 44th Assembly districts and the 21st State Senate District. Scott, who served the 44th District, organized the awards as an effort to honor exceptional businesswomen in those districts.
“It’s exciting to see the community step up and appreciate the fine work of accomplished businesswomen,” Portantino said. “To have a terrific event that recognizes them and their work is one of the benefits of doing this job.”
For Cook, senior vice president and general manager of La Cañada-based Gilmour Bank, the award is an exciting, surprising and humbling experience.
“I thought it was necessary to give back where you work,” Cook said. “I can’t be a politician, but I can do a lot of things.”
Cook, a Shadow Hills resident, established Gilmour Bank two years ago in La Cañada, and has volunteered in a number of positions with the La Cañada Flintridge Chamber of Commerce, Community Center of La Cañada Flintridge, the local sheriff’s support group and Kiwanis Club, among others.
Shepherd, who serves as a watch commander for the Altadena and Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s stations, has not broken the news about the award to her fellow officers.
“I really don’t know why I was chosen,” she said. “I just feel like it’s not my place to tell people.”
As watch commander, Shephard’s responsibilities are to run the station when the station commander is not present.
Hostivich, of La Cañada, who is an executive partner at Lockton Insurance in Los Angeles, has volunteered her time working for such organizations as the La Cañada Educational Foundation, Music Matters and St. Anne’s outreach center, among other organizations. The core of her work, Hostivich said, has always been to help those who don’t have a voice.
“There have been moments in each one where I’ve felt the incredible opportunity to really make a difference,” said Hostivich. “If I can change someone’s life, that’s very motivating.”
Hostivich sees the Women in Business Award as an incredible honor. Her goal in volunteering has been to support organizations in the community and in the greater area that not only make a difference, but also deal with women’s issues.
Other award winners include women from Temple City, San Gabriel, Pasadena, Glendale and Los Angeles.