Gloria Salas, Burbank BPW Public Policy Chair, will give a presentation on “Human Trafficking” at the Annual Conference of the Sierra Mar District Business and Professional Women on Saturday, April 16, 2022 at the St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 2009 S. Garfield Avenue, Monterey Park. Registration is at 8:45 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9:00 a.m. Salas will be speaking at about 10:30 a.m. The conference and luncheon is open to all interested people. There is no registration cost for guests, but the cost of the box lunch is $10. Call Marie Clifton (626) 287-5306 or E-mail her at MarieClifton40@gmail.com to make a reservation or for questions.
Salas is committed to the vision of a world in which women’s rights are recognized as human rights. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence. Salas is involved

in various organizations which collectively promote human rights, justice, non-violence, equality, inclusivity and diversity. She is secretary of the Burbank BPW and represents Valley Sunset BPW District on the Public Policy Committee. She is 1st Vice President of the Burbank Human Relations Council, Moderator of her church’s Peace and Justice Ministry and Executive Board member of Burbank for Armenia. She is currently the Zonta Area 3 Director and Lt. Governor-elect for Zonta International District 9. She represents Zonta on the Burbank Domestic Violence Taskforce. By way of her membership in these organizations she works to support women through various service projects and advocates for the elimination of violence against women, specifically human trafficking and domestic violence. Through her church’s Peace and Justice Ministry, she is involved in food collections for the food insecure, clothing drives for those in need, toys donations for foster children and has traveled to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to advocate on social justice issues affecting women and children. As a member of the Burbank Human Relations Council and Burbank for Armenia, Salas, together with her colleagues, works to build bridges of understanding and inclusivity among diverse communities.
Dominique Ruedaflores, who is in 12th grade at Ramona Convent Secondary School, will give her Monterey Park Lions award winning speech “How Can Kindness Reunite Our Country?” at about 10:00 a.m.

The luncheon speaker will be Sabrina Chu, who in January was honored as East Los Angeles-Montebello BPW’s Young Careerist for 2022. Chu is Development and Grants Manager at the Asian Youth Center. The Asian Youth Center is a community-based nonprofit organization that provides employment, educational and social services to low-income, immigrant youth and families in the San Gabriel Valley. Chu has lived for most of her life in the San Gabriel Valley. Her family are Taiwanese immigrants who moved to Southern California from Bogota, Colombia. Chu graduated in 2018 with a B.A. in

Psychology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She was also a research assistant during her time at Cal Poly Pomona under the Asian American Transnational Research Initiative and was part of the 2018 Cohort of the iSchool Inclusion Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. With the members of her cohort, she
continues to publish research about the intersections of identity, diversity and technology. With four years of nonprofit experience, she had her start at the Asian Youth Center in direct services as a bilingual tutor at their various K-8 After School programs on local campuses in Alhambra Unified School District and San Gabriel Unified School District. She became the Development Coordinator in 2019 and the Development Manager in 2020. Sierra Mar BPW District will honor Chu as its “Young Professional for 2022.”

The afternoon speaker at 1:00 p.m. will be Marjory Hopper speaking on the NFBPWC Afghan Women’s Project. Hopper is Valley Sunset BPW District President and a member of the California subcommittee of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Afghan project. Hopper is a graduate of Whittier College and received her Master’s in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern California. She was a librarian for the City of Los Angeles – most recently at the John C. Fremont Branch Library. Her specialty is working with children as a storyteller, puppeteer and book talker. She has received the City of Los Angeles Community Service Award, the Children’s Service’s (LAPL) Award for outstanding Children’s Librarian, the Hollywood Coordinating Council Outstanding Community Service Award and the Woman’s Club of Hollywood’s award for Excellence to the Community. Hopper has presented programs previously on women’s history for the Business and Professional Women. She also did much of the research for the “For Bloomers to Boardroom” program which she has helped present to area colleges and schools. Hopper is also President of Hollywood BPW Club, which celebrates its 101st year of service to women this year.

At about 2:15 p.m. Lynn Wen, President of San Gabriel Valley BPW, will be installed as President of Sierra Mar District for 2022-23. Marjory Hopper will be the installing officer. Wen is the President of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and a State Farm Insurance agent. She is also the founding President of San Gabriel Valley BPW.

Sierra Mar District is based in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys and is part of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW).  The organization is a member of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and BPW International. BPW has been advocates for women’s issues for more than 102 years.

The mission of the Sierra Mar District of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women (CFBPW) is “to promote and support equity for working women in all phases of their lives and to promote personal empowerment and professional development.” Our objectives are “to advocate on state and national legislative issues of importance to women, to promote personal and professional development for women and to foster connections among women to promote BPW and its members.” Membership is open to both men and women who support this mission and these objectives. Those who are members also belong to CFBPW, NFBPWC and BPW International. For more information contact Marie Clifton at (626) 287-5306 or MarieClifton40@gmail.com.