Meet the Awardees
Congratulations to the 2019 extraordinary Women Who Dare awardees. These exceptional women and teen truly exemplify strong, smart, and bold, and provide powerful role models for girls.
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Dolores Huerta
20th Anniversary Honorary Award
Social and Economic Justice Activist and Advocate
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Dolores Huerta is one of the most influential civil rights activists of the 20th Century. She credits teaching farm-worker children in the 1950s and her mother's activism for her enduring commitment to economic justice. She is best known for co-founding the United Farm Workers' Union with César Chávez. She was the force behind the 1960 grape boycotts and the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act. At 88, Huerta continues to tirelessly advocate for the working poor, children, and women through the Dolores Huerta Foundation. Huerta has received numerous awards including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. She has inspired generations, teaching that "Every moment is an organizing opportunity, every person a potential activist, every minute a chance to change the world."
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Wilma Chan
Women Who Dare Award
Supervisor, District 3
Alameda County Board of Supervisors
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Supervisor Chan actively represents District 3. She has been an extraordinary advocate for children and families, especially for our most vulnerable populations, for over 40 years. Her groundbreaking and historic bills and legislation have ensured the health and emotional, educational, and economic wellness for thousands of children and adults in Alameda County as well as in the state of California. She is the first woman and Asian American to be Majority Leader in the California State Assembly, as well as the first Asian American to be elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Chan holds a Bachelor's degree from Wellesley College and a Master's degree in Education Policy & Administration from Stanford University. She is devoted to her two grown children and grandchild.
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Dorie Guess Behrstock
Women Who Dare Award
Advisor and Advocate for Women and Girls
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Dorie has dedicated her life and several careers to enhancing economic rights and creating opportunities for women and girls. She received an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a BSBA in Economics from the University of Denver. She has worked in Treasury for Mobil Oil, as a corporate and international banker for Citicorp, consulted for non-profits and governments, and served in management in United Nations Peacekeeping. Dorie also served as Board President for two years for GIIC, and on boards for Alameda Point Collaborative and for Girls Inc. National. She currently is an advisor to United Nations Association USA - East Bay, advocate/advisor for League of Women Voters and AAUW. Dedicated to her husband, she also has two extraordinary daughters.
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Eman Khatri
Women Who Dare Teen Award
Senior, Alameda High School
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Eman has an enthusiasm for activism and leadership and is a powerful voice for young women and Muslims. She co-founded the Muslim Student Association at Alameda High School and coordinated a Muslim Day at the Capitol field trip where students lobbied for legislation in Sacramento. As Co-President of Girl Up, Eman has organized fundraisers, toiletry drives, and events to ensure that girls and women everywhere are given the resources they need to succeed. She made tremendous contributions to GIIC's Eureka! STEM program and represented GIIC at all of the Democracy Matters debate competitions. Through Eureka!, she had the honor of interning at Congresswoman Barbara Lee's District Office. Eman was recently elected to the National Girls Inc. Teen Policy Board and aspires to become a human rights lawyer.
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Cherri N. Allison, ESQ.
Champion Award
Executive Director, Alameda Family Justice Center
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Ms. Allison is a statewide and nationally recognized leader in the field of domestic violence. She holds a law degree from the University of Santa Clara and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Ms. Allison serves the Domestic Violence Program Advisory Council, Office of Emergency Management as well as the Judicial Council of California Access and Fairness Advisory Committee. In 2009 she was inducted into the Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women's Hall of Fame. In 2010 she was honored by the Santa Clara Law School Center for Social Justice and Public Service. Recently, in 2017 she was honored by the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence with the Karen Cooper Beloved Community Award.
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Jill Barcelona
Alumnae Award
Technology Consultant and Community Volunteer
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Jill is an exceptional GIIC alumnae. Her past involvements include volunteering for the after- school program and the Eureka! STEM program, as well as writing for TeenZine. At UC Berkeley, she received the Incentive Awards Program Scholarship for high-achieving, first-generation college students, the Cal Alumni Association Leadership Award, and the Girls Inc. Pearl Fund Alumnae Collegiate Scholarship. Her GIIC experiences led her to join women empowerment student organizations. Jill studied abroad in Scotland and Argentina, where she learned and experienced new cultures. She graduated with a BA in Political Economy and currently works as a Technology Consultant at Protiviti. Jill continues her community involvement by volunteering with ACAP (Accounting Career Awareness Program), aiming to increase underrepresented minorities in accounting and business, and with the International House at Berkeley.
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Joan Barcelona
Alumnae Award
Risk Assurance Associate and Community Volunteer
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Joan wrote for TeenZine and was an extraordinary Eureka! volunteer. She credits GIIC with instilling in her the importance of gender equality and education. She attended UC Berkeley as a first-generation college student and participated in Berkeley Women in Business and CS KickStart, organizations that educate and encourage women in business and computer science, respectively. While studying abroad at the University of Glasgow, Joan discovered her passion for travel. She went on to win the Girls Inc. National Alumnae Collegiate Scholar Award and graduated with a BA in Political Economy. Joan works for PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) and is involved with recruiting, diversity and inclusion (Pan Asian Community, Women's Inclusion Network), and corporate responsibility. Joan also continues to volunteer as a counselor at ACAP and in her community.
