2021 TUSTIN AREA WOMAN OF THE YEAR: Kim DeBenedetto

Kim DeBenedetto

A 60-year Tustin resident and Tustin High School graduate, Kim came full circle as an educator in her old elementary school. She raised her two sons here and has a vested interest in the community, evidenced by volunteering as a PTO parent while juggling career and home responsibilities. Once retired, Kim jumped in full-time as a volunteer with Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts, serving as president (2018 to 2019) and vice-president of fund development (2020).

Kim’s love of history and her own ancestry found an outlet in the Tustin Preservation Conservancy where she served as president in 2016. She wrote an architectural walking tour of Old Town Tustin, collaborating with Tustin’s Parks & Recreation Department to provide this opportunity to residents. In 2015, Kim and another retired teacher revamped the Tustin Area Historical Society’s popular History in a Box program for TUSD 3rd graders, adding digital activities to align with state standards.

Kim and husband Mitch enjoy their blended families, which include three sons and a grandson.

Nominated by Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts

Nominees:
Tammis Berkheimer (Nominated by Tustin Dollars for Scholars & the Rotary Club of Tustin-Santa Ana)
Randi Bernstein (Nominated by the Exchange Club of Tustin)
Kim DeBenedetto (Nominated by the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts)
Lori Conconi (Nominated by the Tustin American Legion Post 227)
Marsha Corzine (Nominated by the Tustin Area Woman’s Club)
Jody Hudson (Nominated by Alzheimer’s Orange County)
Irene Jones (Nominated by the Tustin Chamber of Commerce)
Jen Kohlenberger (Nominated by Donna Peery, Tustin Woman of the Year 2010, Gretchen Whisler, Tustin Woman of the Year 2013 & Pete Beatty, Tustin Man of the Year 2014)
Soledad Rivera (Nominated by Richard Nelson, Tustin Man of the Year 2019)
Charlotte Waggoner (Nominated by the Tustin Community Foundation)