PRESS RELEASE: MARCH 5, 2010
STATE ASSEMBLYMEMBER IRA RUSKIN NAMES FAYE MCNAIR-KNOX, Ph.D., AS WOMAN OF THE YEAR FROM DISTRICT 21
Dr. McNair-Knox, Executive Director of One East Palo Alto Neighborhood Improvement Initiative, to be Honored in State Capitol Ceremony on March 8, 2010
REDWOOD CITY, CA - In a ceremony on March 8, 2010, at 11:00 a.m., Assemblymember Ira Ruskin (D-21) will honor Faye McNair-Knox, Ph.D., as the District 21 Woman of the Year. The ceremony, hosted by the California Legislative Women's Caucus, will recognize McNair-Knox -- and other women across the state -- for their exemplary accomplishments. The 80 Assemblymembers and their honorees participate in the annual program.
"I am so pleased to be honoring Dr. McNair-Knox in this ceremony," Ruskin said. "She has a long history of making a difference in East Palo Alto and this state. Her agency focuses on youth in East Palo Alto - identifying resources, developing skills, and building family resilience - in partnership with more than 50 local organizations. She has helped foster small business initiatives in the area, and held teaching and administrative positions at various universities, including Stanford. She is dedicated to the improvement of youth, students, and her community - and an inspiration to me personally."
McNair-Knox received her Bachelor's Degree from Stanford in 1972, and her Ph.D. in Education from the same university in 1985. She has been Executive Director of One East Palo Alto Neighborhood Improvement Initiative since 2004. Before that, she was Executive Director of East Palo Alto Micro-Business Initiative (dba Start Up) for more than five years. Earlier in her career, McNair-Knox held teaching positions at several colleges and universities.
A Fulbright Scholar, McNair-Knox was inducted into Stanford University's Multicultural Alumni Hall of Fame, and received the Excellence in Economic Development Award from the Community Development Institute in East Palo Alto. She is also a graduate of Class XV of the American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley.
The Woman of the Year program was started in 1987. The March 8 ceremony on the Assembly floor is the centerpiece of a celebration that includes lunch with the Assemblymember and an afternoon reception hosted by the Women's Caucus.
For more information about the ceremony or the event, please call 650 691-2121.