Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris joined by honorees Jennifer Friend, Dr Shaista Malik, Dr Samar Aziz and Alteryx co-founder Olivia (Libby) Duane Adams
Three Inspiring Orange County Leaders Honored as Women of the Year
Irvine: Marking Women’s History Month, Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris has named Jennifer Friend (Costa Mesa), Dr Shaista Malik (Irvine) and Dr Samar Aziz (Tustin) as the 2023 Women of the Year Honorees.
Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris hosted her 5 th annual Women of the Year event on Thursday, March 9, 2023. It is an annual recognition ceremony where community members are invited to celebrate the extraordinary leadership and contributions of three incredible women, one from each city the Assemblywoman represents in the 73 rd District.
This year’s event was hosted and sponsored by Irvine-based Alteryx, the world’s leading data science and analytics company serving the most influential global brands. Alteryx was co-founded by Olivia “Libby” Duane Adams, who also serves as the company’s Chief Advocacy Officer. During the event, Libby was also honored by the Assemblywoman for her accomplishments as one of handful of female founders to take a technology company public and for making transformational change within her workforce and through the business community.
The event was sponsored by the Girl Scouts of Orange County who led the opening of the program by presenting the colors, leading the pledge of allegiance and performing the National Anthem. Girls Inc. were also sponsors of this event which served as an opportunity for the young girls to meet and learn about the incredible women in their communities and to find opportunities for mentorship.
The event was attended by Costa Mesa Mayor John Stephens, Irvine Vice Mayor Tammy Kim, and Tustin Council Member Rebecca Gomez, as well as corporate and non-profit leaders, educators and law enforcement officials.
The Assemblywoman opened the event by recognizing the incredible role women play in their communities. She said that the Women of the Year celebration is one of her favorite events because she enjoys shining the light on women that deserve recognition for their accomplishments and leadership.
“We have so many incredible trailblazers in our community who do so much work in our cities, making them a very special place to live.” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine). “These three honorees are working each and every day to find a solution. I walked away from this event filled with so much inspiration and hope.”
"I am humbled by this recognition from Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris,” Jennifer Friend said. “This award reflects the deep, transformational and generationally disruptive work being done by my colleagues at Project Hope Alliance everyday as they walk alongside our community's children and youth filling in the gaps and eliminating the barriers that homelessness causes in their lives. Because of them, and our partners like the City of Costa Mesa and Newport Mesa Unified School District, together we truly are ending the cycle of homelessness, one child at a time."
“It is a profound honor to be recognized by Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris for the work that my team and I have been deeply committed to providing a whole-person approach to patient care,” Dr Shaista Malik said. “Receiving this award is a testament to the importance of whole health and the contributions of women in this field. I want to use this recognition as an opportunity to continue advocating for healthcare quality, equity and access for all, and to inspire others to engage in integrative whole person health.”
“I am very proud to be nominated and selected as the Tustin woman of the year representative on international Woman’s Day,” Dr Samar Aziz said. “I’ve lived in Tustin for 30 years and it’s an honor to be serving my community and make a huge difference in families’ lives. I am truly honored to be visited by assembly member Cottie Petrie Norris and give her a tour of Sabil USA. Sabil is a health and human services nonprofit that strives to improve families’ quality of life by rapidly providing them with equitable food, health and financial security with dignity and respect.”
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris represents California’s 73rd District including Irvine, Tustin and Costa Mesa. She is the Chair of the Accountability and Administrative Review Committee and a member of Banking and Finance Committee; Jobs, Economic Development, and the Economy Committee; Revenue & Taxation Committee and Veterans Committee. After working her way through Yale University, where she double majored in Economics and English, Cottie had a successful 20-year career in finance and technology. She helped to build businesses and led teams at Fortune 500 corporations, small companies and start-ups.
