The Association for Women in Communications – Santa Barbara (AWC-SB) will honor five distinguished creatives building community through the arts at the 2025 Women of Achievement Awards luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 21 at Cabrillo Pavilion. The honorees are: Adriana Arriaga, visual artist, entrepreneur, and activist; Teresa Kuskey, Founder/Artistic Director of La Boheme Dance; Frances Moore, Co-founder/Artistic Director, Santa Barbara Ringshout Project; Melinda Palacio, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate; and Joanne Wasserman, Artistic Director and Conductor, Santa Barbara Choral Society. The honorees’ disciplines include visual art, dance, choral music, traditional ringshout song and movement, and poetry.

The 17th Annual Women of Achievement awards luncheon is made possible by Presenting Sponsor Women Connect4Good.

This year’s Women of Achievement honorees represent the 2025 Women of Achievement theme, “Creative Communication: Building Community Through the Arts.” As individuals and collectively, they employ the arts as an impactful form of communication and a way to bring people together to build community.

The luncheon will feature performances, an art exhibition, and poetry reading showcasing the honorees’ community-building artistic work. Caroline Feraday, award-winning journalist at KCLU Radio, will emcee the event.