2026 Women of Impact Honorees

Honorees

2026 Woman of the Year
Dr. Julie Ducharme
Lead and Empower Her SHE Talks

Dr. Julie Ducharme is a dynamic leader, keynote speaker, national best-selling author, professor, and serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience empowering others. She is the visionary behind the Lead and Empower Her SHE Talks movement, a nationwide women’s empowerment group that provides women with platforms to speak, write, do business together, and inspire others. As the founder of JD Creative and Consulting Solutions, she and her team help businesses scale and increase brand visibility through creative, viral marketing campaigns. Dr. Ducharme is deeply committed to education and community impact. Through her nonprofit, Synergy Learning Institute, she leads her flagship program, Combat Boots to Heels, which supports female veterans by providing free educational courses, leadership training, and personal development resources designed to help them transition into their next mission with confidence and purpose. She is also actively involved in the South Bay community of San Diego, working with youth in sports—particularly volleyball—by offering a reduced-cost club option for families who may not otherwise have access to competitive programs. As a professor, she is passionate about shaping future leaders and championing youth as the future of the world. With her focus on leadership, business strategy, and female empowerment, Dr. Ducharme is a sought-after speaker, advisor, and thought leader, inspiring impact through her ventures, service, and publications.

Kerri Rivas
Advocacy & Activism
California Highway Patrol

California Highway Patrol (CHP) Officer, Kerri Rivas, was born in Los Angeles, California. She graduated high school in 1996 and attended Azusa Pacific University, on a volleyball scholarship. She graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work (BSW) in May 2000. In 2003, Officer Rivas attended California State University, Los Angeles, and received her Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) in 2006. As a social worker, Officer Rivas worked with veterans, foster care children, and provided therapy services to people living with HIV/AIDS. Officer Rivas joined the CHP Academy in April 2007 and graduated in October 2007. She began her CHP career in the Baldwin Park Area. Officer Rivas has worked in numerous fields within the CHP, such as a Human Trafficking Taskforce, Governor’s Protective Detail, and Public Information Officer. In July 2024, Officer Rivas assumed the role of CHP Recruitment Officer. She took the lead in refining and expanding the women’s program, hosting successful seminars, and leveraging social media to reach a wider audience, with a focus on female officers. In the last year, Officer Rivas has hosted Women’s Hiring Seminars, which include informational meetings, workouts, a mentorship program, and Academy Prep classes. These women seminars have consistently recruited women and maintained their participation in the hiring process. Officer Rivas’ consistent contacts with females in the hiring process, her encouraging and supportive demeanor, and her recruitment efforts geared at events with high female attendance, have led to a noticeable improvement in female applicants within the CHP. Several female applicants from the women’s program have become CHP Officers, or Officers in other Police Departments. Officer Rivas’ pioneering efforts in recruitment, and advocating for women, have set a high standard for others to follow, and her work has strengthened the ranks and paved the way for future generations of female officers.

Laura White Ludvik
Military Community
Support the Enlisted Project

Laura White Ludvik, President of Support the Enlisted Project (STEP), is a San Diego native with 25 years of operational and fundraising experience throughout the nonprofit sector. White rejoined the team at STEP in 2025, after serving four years as President of the USS Midway Foundation. From 2016 to 2021 she was Vice President of Philanthropy at STEP. With a BA in Journalism and Public Relations from California State University, Chico, and a Master’s Certificate in Fund Raising Management (CFRM) from Indiana University, Laura’s development career includes roles as Vice President of Development and Communications at the Monarch School, Development Director at La Jolla Country Day School, TERI Inc., and Casa de Amparo. Daughter of a Vietnam veteran, Laura actively volunteers for military and underserved, vulnerable populations, and is on the board of directors for TERI Inc. She and her husband Matt Ludvik reside in Carlsbad along with their 7-year-old daughter, Delaney.

Meredith Kennedy
Health & Human Services
American Academy of Pediatrics

Meredith Kennedy, MPH, serves as the Executive Director/CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3 (AAP-CA3), representing San Diego and Imperial Counties. She provides strategic leadership, oversees operational and financial functions, and leads community outreach and advocacy efforts with local and state partners. She has more than 25 years of experience in public health project administration and budget management, including clinical research at UC San Diego. Her background includes broad collaboration with physicians, pharmaceutical organizations, and government agencies, as well as developing policies, reports, and grants for NIH-funded research and clinical trials. Under her leadership, AAP-CA3 has grown to nearly 600 members and has become a leading regional resource for child health. The chapter has earned multiple national honors, including several AAP Chapter Awards of Excellence and the Outstanding Chapter of the Year Award. Kennedy holds a Master of Public Health from San Diego State University and a Bachelor of Science in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience from the University of California San Diego. For more than two decades, Kennedy has guided AAP-CA3’s transformation from a small professional association into a central hub for early-childhood initiatives. Her leadership is grounded in a commitment to ensuring that every decision supports the health and well-being of children across the region. The extraordinary AAP-CA3 team administers Healthy Development Services (HDS), a countywide First 5 San Diego–funded system that provides developmental screenings, speech and language therapy, parent coaching, and care coordination for thousands of families. The chapter also oversees home-visiting programs based on the Healthy Families America model and manages Reach Out and Read San Diego, which has distributed more than two million books through over 100 clinics since 2003. Kennedy and her husband, Scott, have been deeply involved in local schools, youth sports, and community life. She enjoys volunteering, gardening, the beach, baseball, and live music—especially 80s bands. They are the parents of three adult sons: Aiden, Brenden, and Grady.

Dr. Sunny Cooke
Education
MiraCosta College

Dr. Sunita (Sunny) Cooke began her tenure as Superintendent/President of MiraCosta Community College District in 2015, has been an educator for nearly 40 years, and has been a recognized California community college CEO for the past 19 years. She completed her Ph.D. from Georgetown University and post-doctoral research training at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She became a founding faculty member at Lone-Star Montgomery College where she taught biology and biotechnology, served as director of their Biotechnology Institute and Dean of Natural Sciences, Health and Wellness. She then became the Associate Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development for the Lone-Star District where she led credit, non-credit, and corporate training efforts district-wide. During her tenure, MiraCosta College has modernized and built out its four campus sites, expanded dual enrollment, started new degrees and programs such as a biomanufacturing bachelor’s degree, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. The college has worked together to gain national recognition for great gains in student success, closing equity gaps, and having the highest transfer rates in southern CA. Dr. Cooke actively serves on local and national boards, including the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (where she co-chairs the Economic Development Committee), Biocom, and local Chambers of Commerce. She is the immediate past chair of the American Association of Community Colleges Board, representing nearly 1,000 colleges nationwide. She is a board member of California Competes and holds leadership roles with the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Association and the California Community Colleges CEO Board.

Rebecca Nussbaum
Community Service & Volunteerism
Community Resource Center

Rebecca Nussbaum is a compassionate and dedicated community leader who has spent 18 years strengthening support systems for neighbors in North County San Diego experiencing hunger, homelessness, trauma, and economic instability. She began her career at Community Resource Center as a domestic violence case manager and now serves as Chief Program Officer, leading with both frontline experience and a deep commitment to service. Since stepping into executive leadership in 2021, Rebecca has expanded CRC’s reach from serving 6,400 individuals to more than 8,600 annually, strengthening programs across food access, housing stability, survivor services, and behavioral health. She launched CRC’s Trauma Recovery Center, expanded Elder Abuse Services, and helped advance innovative housing partnerships to address unsheltered homelessness, always centering dignity, collaboration, and community voice. Her service extends beyond her professional role. Rebecca served seven years on the Board of Directors for the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, currently serves on the Steering Committee of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council and has advocated at the State Capitol to protect funding for survivor services statewide. Rebecca is also a proud mother of three and is deeply committed to leading by example, showing her children that service, courage, and compassion are powerful tools for building a stronger community.

Dr. Marcella Bothwell
Civic Engagement
Pacific Beach Planning Group

Dr. Marcella Bothwell, MD, MBA, is a retired UC San Diego Clinical Professor and Head and Neck Surgeon who has transitioned her expertise into impactful civic leadership. Recognized as the 2023 City of San Diego Woman of the Year for District One, she currently serves as Chair of the City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Board and the Pacific Beach Planning Group. A dedicated community advocate, Dr. Bothwell is the Founder and Chair of Neighbors For A Better California and a Founding Board Member of the San Diego Parks Foundation, where she has served as Treasurer. Her tenure as President of the Pacific Beach Town Council was marked by successfully securing municipal grants to sustain vital local traditions, including the Concerts on the Green. Beyond her policy work, she serves on the San Diego Humane Society Advocacy Committee and is a Sunday School instructor at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. Marcella enjoys life in San Diego with her husband, Thanos, and their two dogs at the Fiesta Island Dog Park.

Cristin Smith
Business & Entrepreneurship
Saffron and Sage

Cristin D. Smith is the Founder & CEO of Saffron & Sage, San Diego’s first members-only holistic health club headquartered in Mission Hills that is redefining the future of healthcare through collaborative, root-cause medicine and multi-sensory wellness experiences. Under her leadership, Saffron & Sage has become a national model for integrative care—bringing together modern diagnostics, evidence-based treatments, and ancient healing traditions within a luxurious, community-centered environment. A trailblazer in the evolving healthcare and wellness landscape, Cristin is credited with creating one of the country’s first social wellness club concepts—an urban sanctuary designed to address chronic conditions through personalized, data-informed care and whole-person healing. Her innovative model integrates epigenetics, functional medicine, and lifestyle therapies to improve clinical outcomes and empower individuals to reclaim their health. Cristin’s entrepreneurial journey began in the financial and insurance services sector, where she rose quickly from top producer to Vice President of Sales & Marketing before co-founding a boutique brokerage firm. Her success led her into community development and social enterprise. A personal health crisis during a sabbatical in Mexico transformed her path, inspiring her to explore holistic medicine and ultimately create the social enterprise she leads today. In addition to her executive leadership, Cristin is trained as a Spiritual Director through Loyola Marymount University and is a Reiki Master and certified breathwork facilitator. She integrates spiritual care with clinical practice, creating safe spaces for individuals to explore healing, resilience, and personal transformation. Cristin has been featured in Forbes and Modern Luxury and has been recognized among the Top 22 Most Influential Leaders in San Diego and Top 40 Under 40 by the San Diego Business Journal. Under her leadership, Saffron & Sage has received numerous accolades, including recognition among the Top 10 Spas in San Diego by Condé Nast Traveler. When she is not leading her team or reimagining healthcare, Cristin can be found sailing on the bay, traveling the world, or spending time with her beloved dog, Harper—who also serves as Saffron & Sage’s resident therapy pup. Having traveled to more than 40 countries, she draws deep inspiration from ancient cultures, healing traditions, architecture, and hospitality—thoughtfully weaving those influences back into the Saffron & Sage experience to continually elevate and evolve the sanctuary she has created. Driven by a vision to make transformative healthcare accessible, bio-individualistic, and deeply restorative, Cristin continues to lead with purpose—advancing a new paradigm where medicine, wellness, and community converge.

Susanna Peredo Swap
Arts & Culture
Vanguard Culture

Susanna Peredo Swap is an award-winning producer, journalist, and film director with more than 25 years of experience in arts administration, acting, jazz vocals, arts advocacy, and public relations. During her tenure with the San Diego International Airport Art Program, she curated more than 80 exhibitions and led a dynamic performing arts series. She currently serves on the San Diego Museum Council, Women in Tourism & Hospitality International, the San Diego Press Club, and the advisory board for the Burnham Center for Community Advancement’s One San Diego initiative. She recently co-led Arts & Culture for World Design Capital San Diego Tijuana 2024 and advised UCSD-TV’s ARTS Channel. Susanna holds degrees and professional certificates from San Diego State University, the University of Maryland, the University of San Diego, and the University of California, San Diego, and has also studied at La Sorbonne and the École du Louvre in Paris. Her passion for the arts inspired her to found Vanguard Culture, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing the region’s creative workforce through award-winning arts journalism, professional development for creatives, and innovative cross-industry cultural experiences. Under her leadership, the organization has earned 82 Awards for Excellence in Journalism, two Gold Anthem Awards presented by the Webbys, and a feature on the National Geographic Channel.

Isabella Hook
Young Leader
Cathedral Catholic High School

Isabella Hook is a 16-year-old current sophomore at Cathedral Catholic High School where she is in her school’s first ever business program known as the Don’s Business Institute, or DBI. In addition to being accepted into the exclusive institute, she is a part of the design committee, student council, and is the social media manager all for DBI. Isabella also finds passion in bringing awareness to scoliosis, a diagnosis she has herself. She is the co-founder and co-leader of the Spines for Spines Club at Cathedral where they donate books and cards to children in hospitals with severe scoliosis. Isabella is on the speech and debate team at CCHS and continues to get further into her community by applying for ambassador positions with promising results. Outside of school, Isabella spends her free time working part-time at a recovery and wellness studio in Carmel Valley where she is a certified Health & Wellness Technician. Her passion projects include working on a petition to fix the decaying Via De La Valle Road for the safety of the San Diego community and writing an independent fiction novel that she has been diligently crafting for a year. She intends to publish the book before graduating high school. Finally, Isabella cares deeply about her faith in Christ and is currently in the process of getting confirmed. Milestones such as being the youngest Father Joe’s Village volunteer and ending off the first semester of her sophomore year with a 4.1 GPA make Isabella excited for where the future takes her as she continues her high school journey.