Digital design and marketing professional Monica Kunz is the recipient of the 2022 Association for Women in Communications (AWC) Chapter Star Award for lending her talents and expertise to the Santa Barbara chapter of the AWC.
“Monica has a keen eye for design and branding. For years she has generously shared her talents with our AWC-SB members and the greater community,” said Lisa Osborn, president of AWC-SB.
“Monica is the guiding force behind all of the visual elements of our annual event, the Women of Achievement Awards, which recognizes outstanding female communicators on the Central Coast,” Osborn said.
For several years, Kunz has designed and created all of the marketing and branding materials for the AWC-SB Women of Achievement Awards. She also creates colorful display ads for the group’s monthly events
In addition to serving AWC-SB, Kunz is a srong supporter of environmental justice and women’s reproductive rights, serving as co-chair of this year’s Birds & Bees Bash, a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood of California Central Coast.
Presented by the national Association for Women in Communications organization, the Chapter Star Award recognizes a member who is an exceptional communicator and has excelled in activities promoting the chapter, as well as activities that advance women in the field of communications.
Kunz, along with AWC-SB board members Leslie Dinaberg, Joan Tapper and Erica Schweitzer, are also recipients of the AWC Teamwork Award for working together over the past year to produce innovative programs and social media/promotional materials for the chapter’s monthly events.
“This team’s dedication to producing powerful events with compelling graphics and promotion elements made our chapter shine brightly all year long,” said Osborn. “I am thankful to have such a strong team of dedicated communications professionals on our board of directors.”
In addition to the organizational honors, two individual AWC-SB members received 2022 AWC Clarion Awards, symbolizing excellence in clear, concise communications.
Judith Smith-Meyer with Foodbank of Santa Barbara County was awarded a Clarion (Public Relations Annual Report). Bonnie Carroll of Bonnie Carroll’s Life Bites News was awarded a Clarion (Successful Aging Newspaper).
All of this year’s accomplishments will be celebrated at the AWC-SB holiday party at Villa Wine Bar, 5 p.m. Wednesday Dec.14.
In addition to these national awards, Lauren Bianchi Klemann is the 2022 Member of the Year, and AWC-SB founder Lois Phillips will present her annual award to recognize an outstanding communicator in the community. For more on the holiday party and other AWC-SB events, visit www.awcsb.org.
AWC-SB members include communicators from a variety of fields including journalists and public information officers, authors, academics, photographers, graphic artists, social media influencers, and public relations experts.
Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Members attend free. Nearly 100 communicators make up the local chapter of AWC. Visit awcsb.org for details about membership and upcoming meetings, and to join the mailing list.