April 22, 2005

Rose Amador named ‘Woman of the Year’ for 23rd Assembly District

Evergreen resident Cihuapilli Rose Amador, president and chief executive officer of the Center for Training and Careers, was recently honored at the 19th annual “Woman of the Year” event held in the chambers of the California State Assembly in Sacramento.

Rose Amador, recently named Woman of the Year for the 23rd Assembly District.

The annual event recognizes women selected by their California Assembly district representatives for their contributions and accomplishments. Joe Coto, 23rd District Assemblyman in his first year in office, selected Amador as his first honoree based on the time and energy she has devoted to serving the San Jose community.

According to 23rd District Assembly Director Mike Potter, Amador was one of approximately 10 women suggested for this honor in Coto’s district. “Assemblyman Coto has known Rose for many years and was aware of her work. He was very pleased to honor her.”

Lifetime of service
Amador has been a leader in San Jose since her youth. She co-founded La Raza Roundtable, an influential Chicano organization, as well as the Indigenous People Council. She co-hosts “Native Voice TV”—a community-based cable show that airs twice a month on the Comcast Cable Channel 15—and is active in the National Council of La Raza, based in Washington D.C., with offices throughout the United States.

For 23 years, Amador has worked at the Center for Training and Careers. This is a community based, non-profit, public benefit corporation that has successfully provided vocational training and job placement assistance to San Jose and Santa Clara County residents since 1977.

CTC was established to develop and enhance employment opportunities and job placement for the educationally and economically disadvantaged in the regional community. CTC opened its doors at 1600 Las Plumas Avenue almost 30 years ago; today CTC/WorkNET continues to offer training and other valuable services.

Throughout the last decade, CTC/WorkNET has continuously expanded program services in response to the needs of the community. Approximately 600 people per day utilize services provided by CTC/WorkNET.

The ceremony
Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante invited Amador, the other honorees and their guests to a breakfast reception hosted in his chambers prior to attending the ceremony.

Once the assembly session was called to order, all routine business was waived to recognize this year’s recipients.

Assembly members from California’s 80 districts escorted their honorees into the assembly chambers in numerical order. Assemblyman Joe Coto escorted Amador from the back of the chambers to the assembly desk where Speaker Fabian Nunez presented her with a certificate and they posed for photos.

Assemblyman Coto then escorted Amador to his desk where she was seated while the remaining honorees—including Dolores Huerta, co-founder and first vice president emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO—received their certificates.

“It was an exciting experience and an extreme honor to be recognized with people I admire, such as Dolores Huerta,” says Amador.

As the keynote speaker at the ceremony, California First Lady Maria Shriver congratulated the women and commended them for their hard work and dedication and commended the assembly for making this year’s ceremony one of the best.

She jokingly noted that she was not quite sure how she would be received by some in attendance until she realized that, “We are all trying to get my husband to do what we want,” referring, of course, to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Needless to say, that line got a huge round of applause and laughs from everyone on the assembly floor as well as in the gallery,” said Amador.

Following the ceremony, the Legislative Women’s Caucus hosted a reception in honor of all the California women of the year and their guests at the newly named California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

“As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we are reminded that California women serve as mothers, sisters, daughters, doctors, lawyers, public servants, day care workers, scientists, entrepreneurs and soldiers currently serving around the world,” said featured guest Shriver. “California’s new museum provides a permanent place to honor contemporary women like these and recognize the women that have gone before us.

The display
The State Senate holds a similar ceremony, and when honoring the senate-nominated women of the year on March 14, it was the first time since 1879 that a First Lady had appeared without the governor before the legislature. Shriver was also the first First Lady to address the state legislature and to acknowledge the accomplishments of women in society.

The museum will permanently house both the assembly and senate Woman of the Year displays that highlight the extraordinary women in this state.

“I was surprised to learn our bios and pictures would be part of the museum in Sacramento forever!” said Amador, who has the distinct honor of being one of its first inductees in the exhibit entitled, “Serving California: 2005 Woman of the Year Honorees.”

For more information about the Center for Training and Careers/WorkNET, go to the Web site: http://www.ctcsj.org/ or call (408) 251-3165.