The common bond of agriculture is what ties together the four women representing Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties who will be honored Thursday, March 29, at Fresno State with the 2012 Common Threads Award.
Susan Abundis of Fresno, Liz Hudson of Sanger, Mary Nunes of Tulare and Beth Brookhart Pandol of Shafter are recognized for their contributions to the community, agriculture and various philanthropic efforts.
The Common Threads Awards luncheon begins at 11 a.m. at the University Dining Hall.
Common Threads is a collaborative effort of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (Ag Leadership), Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and Ag One Foundation.
Abundis, a business administration alumna, is the division credit manager and senior vice president of the Agribusiness Banking Division for Bank of the West, where she jointly oversees a $5.7 billion portfolio. In 2001, Abundis was awarded the Hispanic Heritage Award by Bank of America.
Hudson has worked in the agriculture communications and public relations field for 32 years with the Fresno County Farm Bureau, Westlands Water District and Hudson-Orth Communications, of which she was co-owner. Recently retired, Hudson and husband Earl continue to farm peaches, plums and nectarines at Hudson Farms.
Raised on a dairy in Tulare, Nunes worked alongside husband Tony at the International Agri-Center’s World Ag Expo for more than 30 years. Her service to the Tulare City Historical Society, Tulare County Fair, FFA and 4-H earned recognition as Tulare County Woman of the Year in 2004.
Originally from Colorado, Pandol moved to Kern County in the 1980s. She serves as the executive director of the Water Association of Kern County. A graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, Pandol and her husband Andrew farm grapes on property that has been in the Pandol family for decades.
Net proceeds from the event support the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation, Ag One Foundation and charities of the honorees’ choice.
For more information, contact Christy Baloian of Ag One at 559.278.4266.
(Copy by University Communications student news assistant Nicole Maul.)
Related links:
