The United Chambers Inspirational Women Awards annually recognize women of outstanding achievement who have inspired others with their individual stories and accomplishments.
Established by the United Chambers in 2015, it has become a cherished Valley tradition. In particular, the United Chambers seeks nominees who have not always been in the spotlight or who have not been previously acknowledged - women who could be described as low profile or behind the scenes workers who have overcome unique challenges in finding ways to serve their communities.
The Inspirational Women awards recognize women not only for their successes but for how they have inspired others, served as mentors and, through their contributions, made the San Fernando Valley a better place. Organizations and businesses across the San Fernando Valley are invited to submit their nominations for candidates in the spring. The recipients are honored at the Inspirational Women of the San Fernando Valley Awards luncheon, attended by the San Fernando Valley’s community, business and elected leaders as well as previous honorees.
Honorees are selected from a wide array of industries including, but not limited to, business, social services, health care and medicine, education, community advocacy, arts, government and non-profit. The honorees are chosen by a United Chambers committee composed of previous award winners and community leaders.
Established by the United Chambers in 2015, it has become a cherished Valley tradition. In particular, the United Chambers seeks nominees who have not always been in the spotlight or who have not been previously acknowledged - women who could be described as low profile or behind the scenes workers who have overcome unique challenges in finding ways to serve their communities.
The Inspirational Women awards recognize women not only for their successes but for how they have inspired others, served as mentors and, through their contributions, made the San Fernando Valley a better place. Organizations and businesses across the San Fernando Valley are invited to submit their nominations for candidates in the spring. The recipients are honored at the Inspirational Women of the San Fernando Valley Awards luncheon, attended by the San Fernando Valley’s community, business and elected leaders as well as previous honorees.
Honorees are selected from a wide array of industries including, but not limited to, business, social services, health care and medicine, education, community advocacy, arts, government and non-profit. The honorees are chosen by a United Chambers committee composed of previous award winners and community leaders.
2024 Inspirational Women
Dr. Chander P Arora
Dr. Chander Arora, a distinguished professional with wealth of experience spanning more than two decades in the healthcare industry, currently serving as the Program Director of Biotechnology at LA Mission College.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Arora impacted global women's health initiatives by collaborating with the World Health Organization in Geneva. She has been involved in various international projects, showcasing her dedication with positive impact at a global scale. She has secured significant grants, including one from the Department of Labor. She pursued for advancements in the area within LACCD, establishing LA Mission College as trailblazer with the recent approval of a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomanufacturing.
As educationist, she established expertise in designing, developing, and offering courses in Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing. Committed to industry standards, as a subject matter expert she crafted state assessment exam with the Bioscience industry, hosted by Biocom with LA Mission College serving as the central hub.
Dr. Arora designed her knowledge delivery module shaping the students as quality industry workforce. She contributed to training the trainers, new hires, and incumbent workers in several pharmaceutical industries. She demonstrated her concerns for students by getting substantial National Science Foundation Grant, exceeding half a million dollars which significantly benefited her students in career entry. She successfully created classroom to career pipeline from High Schools to college to Biotech Industries with contextualized soft skills and successfully placed 95% of her students in Biotech Industries after one semester of training even during Pandemic. She has published and presented her work and held workshops at several national meetings. The college is set now as first college in LACCD to offer a bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing this year.
Assemblywoman Luz Rivas has recently awarded the institution remarkable 10 million dollars under her leadership to establish a Biotechnology Training Center. In recognition to her outstanding contributions, she received accolades such as the Best Educator, Distinguished Faculty, and Women's Leadership Award. Dr. Arora remains a driving force in the realms of education, healthcare, and women's empowerment, impacting the individuals, institutions, industry, and the community at large.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Arora impacted global women's health initiatives by collaborating with the World Health Organization in Geneva. She has been involved in various international projects, showcasing her dedication with positive impact at a global scale. She has secured significant grants, including one from the Department of Labor. She pursued for advancements in the area within LACCD, establishing LA Mission College as trailblazer with the recent approval of a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomanufacturing.
As educationist, she established expertise in designing, developing, and offering courses in Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing. Committed to industry standards, as a subject matter expert she crafted state assessment exam with the Bioscience industry, hosted by Biocom with LA Mission College serving as the central hub.
Dr. Arora designed her knowledge delivery module shaping the students as quality industry workforce. She contributed to training the trainers, new hires, and incumbent workers in several pharmaceutical industries. She demonstrated her concerns for students by getting substantial National Science Foundation Grant, exceeding half a million dollars which significantly benefited her students in career entry. She successfully created classroom to career pipeline from High Schools to college to Biotech Industries with contextualized soft skills and successfully placed 95% of her students in Biotech Industries after one semester of training even during Pandemic. She has published and presented her work and held workshops at several national meetings. The college is set now as first college in LACCD to offer a bachelor’s degree in Biomanufacturing this year.
Assemblywoman Luz Rivas has recently awarded the institution remarkable 10 million dollars under her leadership to establish a Biotechnology Training Center. In recognition to her outstanding contributions, she received accolades such as the Best Educator, Distinguished Faculty, and Women's Leadership Award. Dr. Arora remains a driving force in the realms of education, healthcare, and women's empowerment, impacting the individuals, institutions, industry, and the community at large.
Jenna Hauss
Jenna has spent the past 18 years working with older adults, and is dedicated to the continued growth of enhancing community-based services to best meet the demands of the San Fernando Valley’s most vulnerable populations, encouraging intergenerational connections to promote healthy aging and age-friendly communities.
Jenna has worked as a Social Worker and leader through a variety of clinical and community-based settings. In 2018, Jenna became the Director of Strategic Initiatives & Community Based Services at ONEgeneration, supporting the strategic vision and growth opportunities that led to expanding resources that address the valley’s most pressing issues, including affordable housing, food insecurity, and access to mental health support.
Her most recent transition to President and CEO in 2021 comes with an extensive history at ONEgeneration, allowing for ongoing opportunities to carry through a mission and vision that enriches and supports older adults, children, and families through an intergenerational lens. Jenna currently serves on the Accreditation board for the National Council on Aging and is the representative of California for the statewide leadership collaborative with the National Institute of Senior Centers. Jenna received her Bachelors in Social Welfare from California State University Northridge and Masters in Social Work from California State University Long Beach.
Jenna has worked as a Social Worker and leader through a variety of clinical and community-based settings. In 2018, Jenna became the Director of Strategic Initiatives & Community Based Services at ONEgeneration, supporting the strategic vision and growth opportunities that led to expanding resources that address the valley’s most pressing issues, including affordable housing, food insecurity, and access to mental health support.
Her most recent transition to President and CEO in 2021 comes with an extensive history at ONEgeneration, allowing for ongoing opportunities to carry through a mission and vision that enriches and supports older adults, children, and families through an intergenerational lens. Jenna currently serves on the Accreditation board for the National Council on Aging and is the representative of California for the statewide leadership collaborative with the National Institute of Senior Centers. Jenna received her Bachelors in Social Welfare from California State University Northridge and Masters in Social Work from California State University Long Beach.
Tisha Janigian
Tisha Janigian is the single mother of two teenage boys and the President and Founder of the nonprofit SHE IS HOPE LA whose mission is to envision a world where single mothers are universally empowered, societal and institutional barriers to their success are dismantled, creating an equitable landscape where single mothers and their families thrive. Their mission is to break the cycle of instability by empowering single mothers and their children, guiding their journey from survival to a state of enduring success. As a beacon of hope and a catalyst for systemic change, SHE IS HOPE LA aims to redefine the landscape of support, ensuring that every mother and child has the opportunity to flourish and contribute to a more inclusive and resilient society.
Tisha founded SHE IS HOPE LA based on what she when through when she got divorced in 2012 and was left with no money, no credit and no assets. She personally experienced the gap over poverty and that the system perpetuates people to stay on it! Tisha founded SHE IS HOPE LA to give single moms and their children a new hope, a new direction and a new purpose!
Tisha is also the Broker Owner of SHE IS HOPE Realty, where she and her team of agents make a difference by donating a percentage of every real estate transaction to SHE IS HOPE LA.
Tisha’s drive comes from her passion to give back and to prevent anyone else from dealing with difficulties she experienced when she got divorced and to show her sons that if you work hard, you can make your dreams come true!
Tisha founded SHE IS HOPE LA based on what she when through when she got divorced in 2012 and was left with no money, no credit and no assets. She personally experienced the gap over poverty and that the system perpetuates people to stay on it! Tisha founded SHE IS HOPE LA to give single moms and their children a new hope, a new direction and a new purpose!
Tisha is also the Broker Owner of SHE IS HOPE Realty, where she and her team of agents make a difference by donating a percentage of every real estate transaction to SHE IS HOPE LA.
Tisha’s drive comes from her passion to give back and to prevent anyone else from dealing with difficulties she experienced when she got divorced and to show her sons that if you work hard, you can make your dreams come true!
Commander Elaine Morales
Commander Elaine Morales is a 36-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. She grew up in Rosemead, California, began her law enforcement career as a young Police Explorer and joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1988.
Commander Morales rose through the ranks of police officer, sergeant, lieutenant, working various patrol, investigative, administrative and community assignments throughout the City. Commander Morales promoted to the rank of Captain in 2016 and her assignments included Central Division, the largest and busiest command in the City. During the last seven years, she also assumed command at Security Services Division, West Traffic Division, North Hollywood Division and Foothill Division. In 2023, she was promoted to Commander assigned to Operations-Valley Bureau, which has a population of roughly 1.8 million people and encompasses 226.47 square miles. Operations Valley Bureau is the largest geographic bureau in the Department with seven community police stations.
Commander Morales attended California State Los Angeles University, completing a Bachelor of Science in Police Science. She was recently selected by Chief Moore to attend the 2024 Police Executive Research Forum, the Senior Management Institute for Police. She is a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the Supervisory Leadership Institute, and the West Point Leadership program. Commander Morales has completed advanced coursework in executive leadership, emergency management, counter-terrorism and diverse community engagement. She has received numerous commendations and awards for her police service including the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leadership Award, Crime Reduction Award and Community Stakeholder work.
Commander Morales is a member of various professional organizations including Police Executive Research Forum, International Association of Chiefs of Police, FBI National Academy Associates, the Los Angeles Women Peace Officers and Associates Organization and the Latin American Law Enforcement Association.
During the past ten years to present, she volunteers as a tutor with the Loyola High School Placement Test (HSPT) Program. This is an outreach program, offered free of charge to over six hundred 7th and 8th grade students from under resourced inner-city schools and is made possible due to the generosity of the Loyola High School Community. The HSPT Program provides tutoring in the academia of Mathematics, Reading, English and Interview Skills.
Commander Morales makes a concerted effort to mentor the younger generations of community members, police officers and supervisors to better facilitate the transfer of the strong and positive traditions that have made the Los Angeles Police Department a model law enforcement organization world-wide. She also strives to promote a community policing style of leadership that involve stakeholders. Her passion is to elevate service standards in response to community needs.
Her support groups of family, friends and community members have allowed her to have a successful career and life. She is a proud mother of her 19-year-old son, Adam, unfortunately he was the victim of a Fatal Traffic Collision on December 6, 2020.
Tammy Scher
Tammy Scher first became involved in educational volunteering as the PTA Vice President when her daughter,
Brooke, was in Kindergarten.
In 2005, Tammy helped create and form CHAMPS, an arts centered Charter High School in Van Nuys. Tammy is currently the Kiwanis key club advisor to CHAMPS and is also the board secretary of the Kiwanis Club of Entertainment Industry Group, Los Angeles.
In 2018, Tammy was elected Chair of the Board of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. Due to the financial restraints of the pandemic, the Chamber had to let go of its staff. Tammy helped save the chamber by taking the responsibilities of acting CEO for over a year, where she advocated for local businesses and their daily struggles of the covid restrictions.
Tammy champions for shelter adoptions, especially of senior dogs. She has adopted all her dogs from the East Valley animal shelter.
Tammy owns a successful wholesale e-commerce gallery, ForgottenTreasurez.com
She is always happy donate an art piece to any organization that request it.
On weekends you can find Tammy competing in tennis matches all over the valley.
Brooke, was in Kindergarten.
In 2005, Tammy helped create and form CHAMPS, an arts centered Charter High School in Van Nuys. Tammy is currently the Kiwanis key club advisor to CHAMPS and is also the board secretary of the Kiwanis Club of Entertainment Industry Group, Los Angeles.
In 2018, Tammy was elected Chair of the Board of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. Due to the financial restraints of the pandemic, the Chamber had to let go of its staff. Tammy helped save the chamber by taking the responsibilities of acting CEO for over a year, where she advocated for local businesses and their daily struggles of the covid restrictions.
Tammy champions for shelter adoptions, especially of senior dogs. She has adopted all her dogs from the East Valley animal shelter.
Tammy owns a successful wholesale e-commerce gallery, ForgottenTreasurez.com
She is always happy donate an art piece to any organization that request it.
On weekends you can find Tammy competing in tennis matches all over the valley.