VIDEO: Cerritos Chamber Thanks Sieu for Leadership; Welcomes Smith as President

On May 30, the Cerritos Regional Chamber of Commerce honored its outgoing president Dr. Mary Sieu and welcomed in new president Ann Smith.

More than 100 people gathered at the for the 48th Annual Installation Luncheon, which not only serves as a transition point for its leadership, but is also a time to specially recognize Chamber members who have made an impact in the organization during the past year.

Community officials and the Chamber presented Sieu with awards in honor of her hard work, guidance and commitment as president.

 “Mary has a dynamic attitude and positive spirit,” said Catherine Gaughen, Executive Director of the Chamber, adding that under Sieu’s leadership the Chamber “has weathered the economic downturn and thrived in the past year.”

Gaughen went on to praise Sieu for her thoughtful and even keeled approach under all pressure situations, which she fondly referred to in her own times of need as “WWMD” – “What would Mary do?”

After thanking the Chamber, Sieu took a moment to reflect on her experience as a whole.

“I have really simply appreciated, meeting and learning about many of you in this room here today,” Sieu said. “The Chamber, whether you are a new member or have been a member for many many years, I enjoyed the connections that we made, the ideas for future projects that we have generated.”

She also took time to express her gratitude to her colleauges at the , for which she is the Deputy Superintendent.

After Sieu was thanked and recognized for her year of service, the Chamber then turned their attention to warmly welcoming the organization’s new president Ann Smith, an accomplished lawyer and senior counsel at the Cerritos office of .

“Ann has been very active with the Chamber for over 18 years,” said Gaughen, adding that Smith has served as chair of the Government Affair’s Council, has been on the Executive Committee, and was twice the recipient of the Chamber’s President’s Award.

As part of welcoming Smith to her new post, the luncheon was decorated with the theme “Where the Wild Things Are” in honor of her love for children’s books with custom book centerpieces and a stage wall display featuring a variety of children’s reading favorites. Smith also received a special surprise when a group of third graders from Kennedy Elementary School recited playful prose from the book “The House That Jack Built." (See video of the students' performance in the image carousel.)

Other special awards of recognition that were presented at the annual luncheon included:

• Ken Garcia of Golf N’ Stuff in Norwalk received the Ambassador of the Year Award, which honors an Ambassador who volunteers and assists with Chamber events and programs
• Theresa Prumatico of the Artesia-Cerritos Lions Club received the Volunteer of the Year Award, which honors someone who volunteers a lot of their personal time and energy to the Chamber
• Leigh Clausen of Gateway Business Bank received the Business Person of the Year Award, which honors a business leader who supports the Chamber on behalf of their business
• received the Business of the Year Award, which honors a business for their years of dedication and service to the Chamber
• Lola Rizkallah of Cerritos College received the Doug Padelford Memorial Award, which honors someone who has helped make the President’s year a success

For more information about Chamber membership or future Chamber events, visit the organization’s website at www.cerritos.org.