Chairman's Award
Chairman's Award Recipients
2024 Chairman's Award Recipients
Mission La Purísima Prelados
Prelado de los Tesoros (Prelado) loosely translates as “Keepers of the Treasures.” Established in 1973, Prelado supports educational and interpretive programs at La Purisima Mission State Historic Park and was one of the first official cooperating associations.Through the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, most of who are Prelado members, La Purisima mission has become famous for high quality and unique programs. The mission comes to life with docents in period dress, portraying another time as they present living history, guided tours, and community outreach programs. Prelado not only financially supports these programs, but also funds research and livestock care. Currently, Prelado is working closely with State Park staff to raise funds for a new Visitor Center Complex. This complex will include exhibit areas and a tour staging area, a multi-purpose room, an amphitheater, a library, an archives, and larger museum store. Prelado funds most of its activities through memberships and sales in the park. Your membership or donation will help Prelado continue to provide quality interpretive programs, build the new Visitor Center complex, and keep the historical treasures of La Purisima mission as vital educational resources. Prelado has proven itself to be a valuable ally to La Purisima mission, the visitors and staff. Join them by becoming a member! For more information about the association and its many activities, or to become a supporter, please visit the Prelado de los Tesoros website.
2024 Chairman's Award Recipient
Shyra Ligouri
2022 Chairman's Award Recipients
Docents of Mission San Luis Obispo
Mission San Luis Obispo’s historical interpretation program began in 1934 when Fr. John Harnett opened a museum above the cloister. Fr. Harnett and his fellow priests served as guide-interpreters. The present-day museum opened in 1955 and the public accessed the museum through the gift shop. Gift shop staff, mostly volunteers, answered any questions concerning largely self-explanatory exhibits.
By the 1980’s more than sixty docents were giving tours of the County Museum and historic Mission Plaza. A new generation of docent’s ably led by Hank Praeger, Connie Pillsbury, Dona Young, Angie Bertrand, Roger Power and many others are taking the large and enthusiastic docent group into 2022, marking the 250th anniversary of Mission San Luis Obispo.
The Docent Society at Mission San Luis Obispo has been leading tours at the mission for decades. Their dedication to hospitality, history and education is to be commended as are their many hours of volunteer service.
Greeting patrons, leading tours for students, families and friends, the docents at Mission San Luis Obispo are an asset to the mission. Each docent takes time to study the history of the mission era to become a valuable resource and enhance the mission experience for all who visit Mission San Luis Obispo.
2022 Chairman's Award Recipient
Robert Powers
Robert Powers is a media designer and consultant based on the central coast of California. Robert regularly assists the California Missions Foundation with their various media projects, including the Boletin, website, and Correo newsletter.
2021 Chairman's Award Recipient
Fr. John Molyneux
Fr. John Molyneux, CMF is the Pastor of Mission San Gabriel. He was ordained a Claretian priest on June 14, 1997. His ministry has included parish work, formation of seminarians, and editor of U.S. Catholic magazine. Fr. John was assigned as Pastor of San Gabriel Mission in July of 2018. He had previously served as Pastor of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He is originally from Queens, New York.
2021 Chairman's Award Recipient
Terri Huerta
Terri Huerta is the Director of Development and Communications at Mission San Gabriel Arcángel. The 4th historic California Mission to be founded by St. Junipero Serra, Mission San Gabriel is an anchor in the community and considered by some the “Godmother” of the City of Los Angeles. Over the past three years, Terri has been the driving force behind a renovation of Mission San Gabriel’s gardens, museum, and tour experience including the preservation and conservation of its historic structures and sizable museum collection. Her goal is to revitalize the Mission experience through partnership and collaboration with all those who have contributed to the planning, building, and stewardship of Mission San Gabriel over the past 250 years.
Terri’s dedication to the San Gabriel Mission community extends beyond the walls of the Mission itself, as she also played a critical role as Director of Development & Advancement of San Gabriel Mission Elementary school. At a time when local Catholic schools struggled to grow their programs, Terri employed her strengths in effective communication and community building to reinforce relationships with all stakeholders, plan strategic growth, and the rebrand of the school. Beyond her professional role, Terri is a Commissioner for the City of San Gabriel’s Community Services department and a Board Member of the San Gabriel Chamber of Commerce. She holds a Master’s in Social Work with a focus on social change and innovation from the University of Southern California.
2021 Chairman's Award Recipient
Julie Bogany
Julia Bogany was a Tongva Tribal Elder and she dedicated her life to keeping alive the culture, the stories and the legacy of the Tongva people. The Tongva people have lived in and around Mission San Gabriel for hundreds of years. Julia ttook great pride in telling the story of the Tongva people to students, tourists and everyone who is interested in this important chapter of California history. Sadly, Julia passed away shortly after receiving this award.
2020 Chairman's Award Recipients
Carmel Mission Docents
The Carmel Mission Docents Association was founded in 2005. It is a parish ministry whose purpose is to serve in the capacity of historical stewardship of the Mission, it’s art, and its artifacts and to enhance the visitor’s experience when visiting the Carmel Mission, which is one of the most visited sites on the Monterey Peninsula.
The Organization conducts scheduled school and adult tours, provides availability throughout the campus to assist visitors, and participates in special projects including art research, library maintenance, and inventory assistance for the Mission’s art and artifact collection. The CMDA provides educational opportunities for its members such as trips to other missions and related historical sites, organizes presentations from speakers and provides a dedicated online depository of docent resources.
The association presently has 70 members, is self-managed by a Council of 4 elected Officers and 10 or so committee chairs and co-chairs with responsibilities covering hospitality, tour scheduling, Docent membership and education, library development, finance, and art research. The Council meets monthly throughout the year and also organizes quarterly meetings for all docents where hospitality is offered and an invited speaker shares their wisdom with the assembly on a wide range of topics.
The income derived from conducting tours provides the council with an operating budget and also allows us to contribute funds for art exhibits, restoration and building projects. The association to date has donated over 100,000 dollars to said projects and most recently we were particularly delighted to have been able to contribute towards the restoration of our much-loved statue, “Our Lady of Bethlehem”.
2019 Chairman's Award Recipients
Ignacio Felix Cota
Dr. Rose Marie Beebe
Dr. Robert Senkewicz
The Docents at Mission San Juan Capistrano
2018 Chairman's Award Recipients
Derek and Valerie Sanders
Mechelle Lawrence-Adams
2017 Chairman's Award Recipients
Sheila Benedict
John O. Jenkins
Edith Piness
2016 Chairman's Award Recipient
Jarrell C. Jackman
Recently-retired Dr. Jarrell C. Jackman, a leading force during a stellar 35-year career in rebuilding the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara into the best example of a Spanish American colonial fort, is a recipient of a 2016 CMF Chairman's Award.
Dr. Jackman earned a B.A degree in German at UCLA, an MA in American Studies at CSU Los Angeles and a PhD in history at UCSB. He wrote his dissertation in Germany as a German Academic Exchange Fellow and taught for the University of Maryland European Division for three years. He coedited The Muses Flee Hitler, a series of papers delivered at and published by the Smithsonian Institution. He authored Santa Barbara: Historical Themes and Images, and a biography of Presidio Comandante Felipe Goicoechea.
He is currently researching two projects, The Price of Genius: Norman Neuerburg and the Creation of the Getty Villa and Thomas Mann: Thinking about God and Germany in Los Angeles. He served as CEO since 1987 of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation which operates El Presidio de Santa Barbara, a California State Parks, and the Santa Ines Mission Mills.
Dr. Jackman recently received Spain's La Medalla de Isabela la Catolica. Click here to view the video of the Medal presentation.
2016 Chairman's Award Recipient
Philip Hudner
Pioneer-family descendant and Bay Area attorney Philip Hudner, whose vision, passion and interest in bettering Mission San Juan Bautista has led to the successful implementation of several meaningful preservation projects, is a recipient of a 2016 CMF Chairman's Award.
A San Francisco lawyer specializing in trusts and estates, Mr. Hudner also manages farm and ranch properties in San Benito County, where his family has been engaged in agriculture and the legal profession since their arrival in San Juan Bautista in 1847. In 1849, his great, great grandfather Patrick Breen, a survivor of the Donner Party, bought General Castro's adobe on the plaza across from Mission San Juan Bautista. The adobe stayed in the Breen family until 1933 when its acquisition by the State of California began the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. Through Mr. Hudner's role as President of the Louise M. Davies Foundation and the Charles D. and Frances K. Field Fund, more than $750,000 has generously been donated to Mission San Juan Bautista preservation work.