Women’s Leadership Update

Over the past several weeks, we have been listening.

Eight focus groups have been held with community members and students, including Business and Leadership classes and Associated Students of Napa Valley College.

On February 24, the planning group convened to review feedback, identify common themes, and begin shaping the structure of the program.

The conversations have been thoughtful, candid, and energizing. We are committed to building a Women’s Leadership initiative that reflects the voices of our students and the strength of women in our Valley.

More to come as this work continues to take shape.

The Women’s Leadership program honors the legacy of Evelyn Allen, a lifelong learner, educator, vintner, and devoted friend of Napa Valley College.

Evelyn began taking classes at Napa Junior College in 1944 and continued learning nearly until her passing at age 94. She earned degrees from UC Berkeley and beyond, built a 25-year teaching career, and later transformed her Silverado Trail property into a thriving Cabernet vineyard after enrolling in Napa Valley College viticulture courses.

In 2018, Evelyn directed that her estate, including her 13-acre vineyard property, be left to the Napa Valley College Foundation to support adaptive physical education and Viticulture Winery Technology programs.  Her gift will be the largest bequest ever received by the College.

To further cement her legacy, the Foundation established the Evelyn Allen Women’s Leadership Initiative to help cultivate the next generation of women leaders at Napa Valley College.  For Evelyn, Napa Valley College students were her family.

Her belief was simple: education transforms lives.

And her impact will continue to do just that.