FRESNO — Dr. Matthew Ari Jendian was honored along with eight other community leaders at the third Annual Trailblazers for Prosperity Awards Luncheon by the Southeast Fresno Community Economic Development Association (SEFCEDA) on November 12, at the Fresno Fairgrounds.
Each year the Board of Directors of SEFCEDA nominates and selects individuals that have opened the trails for the prosperity of future generations and for the benefit of others.
Recognized for their leadership in Education and Training, this year’s recipients were: in addition to Jendian, Dr. Katherine Flores, Retired Counselor Diana Rodriques, Sunnyside High School Principal Tim Liles, Roosevelt High School Principal Bryan Wells, founder-owner of The California Advocate Les Kimber, community advocate Chue April Vue, and posthumous recognition for Fresno Police Sergeant Salvador Mosqueda.
Each of the recipients was introduced by KFSN-ABC 30 News Anchor Graciela Moreno who served as master of ceremonies, and SEFCEDA Board President Dr. Nellie Neri and CEO Jose Leon Barraza presented the awards.
Several of Dr. Jendian’s former students were in attendance to honor and congratulate him, including Estela Acebedo-Gonzalez (Graduate Student in Social Work), Kelvin Alfaro (Program Officer at Fresno Regional Foundation), Bertha Dominguez (Education Director at UC San Francisco), Raymundo Gonzalez (Hospitality Manager at Fleming’s), Brenda Noriega (Hispanic Ministry Coordinator at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno), and Jose Ramirez (Urban Planner Associate at Sigala, Inc.).
