Countywide : 2 Women of the Year Awards Presented

Two women active professionally and as volunteers in Ventura County were honored in Sacramento on Monday as two of the Women of the Year selected by state legislators.

Nancy Bender, a 22-year Simi Valley resident who for the past 11 years has served as the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, was chosen by Assemblywoman Paula Boland (R-Granada Hills).

Jean Perloff, who works at the state appellate court in Ventura, was selected by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) and state Sen. Gary K. Hart (D-Santa Barbara).

Perloff is an attorney who has worked in private practice and as a law clerk for the Ventura County public defender’s office. She is senior judicial attorney to Presiding Judge Steven J. Stone, Division 6 of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Ventura.

“Jean is not only outstanding in volunteer work behind the scenes, but dedicated to her legal profession and her role in society,” said O’Connell spokeswoman Wendy Motta. “She’s very talented, and she has really succeeded.” Perloff lives in Santa Barbara.

Boland praised Bender’s dedication to the community, shown in her work with the chamber and other volunteer activities. In addition to her chamber duties, Bender has worked with Simi Valley Care and Share, which collects food and clothing for the needy, and has raised money for the construction of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

The Woman of the Year awards are sponsored by the Women’s Caucus of the California State Legislature.