Visionary Leadership Visionary Leadership

Founder's Award: Lawanda Lyons-Pruitt

Lyons-Pruitt moved to Santa Maria in 1973 after graduating from high school in rural Mississippi, where she experienced segregation firsthand. Lyons-Pruitt's aunt and uncle were educators one at Righetti and one at Santa Maria High School and their guidance, along with her grandfather's, pushed her to continue her education She would go on to receive a degree in criminology from Cal State Long Beach Her professional career was spent as an investigator for the Santa Barbara County Public Defender's Office, becoming the first Black woman in California to earn the title of chief investigator before retiring in 2016 Lyons-Pruitt has been president of the Santa Maria-Lompoc NAACP chapter for more than 14 years, during which time she has emphasized the importance of remembering Black history

Firebrand Award: Kavya Shuresh

Kavya Suresh has always been someone who is always looking for an organizing opportunity at every one of our YMC meeting by trying to engage the board in participating in school board meetings and supporting just policies like getting cops off campus Kavya's care and love for her community is palpable in the way she always brings up issues to the forefront

As an active member of her community, Kavya has mentored her peers as a facilitator of YMC to take further interest in their community outside of grant giving by encouraging them to engage in volunteer work with other organizations She is always making sure that every board member feels heard she cultivates a safe and inclusive space for her peers to explore topics of social justice with a critical lense