News release
The Zonta Club of Santa Clarita Valley has officially named Jackie Howarth as the recipient of the 2024-26 Zontian of Distinction Award, the nonprofit organization announced in a news release.
This biennial honor recognizes a Zonta member who embodies the organization’s core mission of empowering women through service and advocacy, while demonstrating exceptional leadership and an unwavering commitment to the local community, the release said.
“Throughout her tenure, Jackie Howarth has been a driving force behind numerous local initiatives aimed at improving the lives of women and girls in the Santa Clarita Valley,” the release said.
A retired elementary school teacher, Howarth has translated her lifelong passion for education and mentorship into her volunteer work, the release said. “Since joining the club in 2022, she has consistently stepped up to lead critical programs, including teaching herself and local young women how to program Lego robots for Zonta’s Girls Robotics initiative, and mentoring the next generation of leaders through the local Z Club and Golden Z Club.”
“Jackie represents the absolute best of Zonta,” Club President Cherise Moore said in the release. “Her passion for mentorship, her tireless advocacy work, and her ability to inspire others to take action are exactly what the Zontian of Distinction Award celebrates. We are incredibly proud to honor her contributions and look forward to her continued leadership through the 2026-2028 biennium.”
Howarth recently concluded a two-year term as a director on the club board, where she was known for bringing creative and constructive ideas to organizational governance, the release said. Simultaneously, she took on the task of chairing or co-chairing three committees last year: the Membership Committee, the Service Committee, and the Women Who Serve event.
As co-chair of membership, her outreach helped the club welcome over 25 new members, nearly all of whom she met with personally to welcome into the organization, the release said.
For more information about the Zontian of Distinction Award or the club’s upcoming projects, visit www.scvzonta.org.
