Phyllis Walker holds the Zontian of the Year award she received at Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley’s recent installation dinner.

A surprised Phyllis Walker received the 2014 Zontian of the Year award from Zonta Club of SCV at the club’s annual installation dinner. The award represents not only outstanding service to the club, but also a member who represents the club well in the community.

Walker was nominated for the honor by several Zontians and was selected from a field of four nominees by a committee composed of former Zontian of the Year honorees. A member for almost two decades, Walker serves as chair of the club’s LifeForward workshop program—a program she has continued to perfect over the two years she has served as chair. She also served on both the club and the Zonta Foundation boards and has served as board secretary in the past.

She has chaired the club’s Community Grants Committee and an ad hoc committee to fine-tune the club’s public relations and marketing efforts. She has served on all of the club’s scholarship committees in the past and worked on Tribute, Zonta’s major fundraiser.

Her nomination says: “She is not one to seek any limelight for her work; she just gets things done! Any committee or project she takes on, she takes on personally and takes a great deal of pride.”

Walker writes a monthly column for the Magazine of Santa Clarita, letting the community know what is currently happening in Zonta. As LifeForward chair, she has sought new ideas, booked professionally qualified program speakers, and developed a mentoring program to make sure women in the Santa Clarita Valley have a place to go to help themselves and their families. Not only has she sought funding for her own program, but she accessed a County grant last year to support a number of the club’s community service projects.

Outside of Zonta, Walker has served as a board member for the Child & Family Center, is a certified mediator providing voluntary mediation services for the Women’s Center Advisory, and served on the Bridge to Home PR Committee.

“Phyllis Walker is very deserving of this award,” said Jami Kennedy, 2011 Zontian of the Year, who made the presentation. “Her dedication and persistence are well documented. When she takes on a project, you know it will be done well.”