SGV

About Us: Jack Phillips Awards

2009 Awardees

Harry Baldwin	Harry Baldwin served on the San Gabriel City Council from 1992 through 2008. Harry was a founding member of the COG and Alameda Corridor East (ACE). He served as COG’s President from 1999 through 2001, Chairman of the ACE Board and was also an active member of the COG’s Transportation Committee. Harry has been one of the faces of the San Gabriel Valley representing the COG countless times in Sacramento and Washington DC. In addition, Harry was elected by his colleagues to serve as their representative to the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) Regional Council and served in leadership positions at that Agency including Chair of the Transportation Committee and later Vice-President.
Sharon Neely	Sharon Neely has been involved with the COG since its formation in 1994. Sharon’s keen insight, professional knowledge and experience are inextricably linked to every single transportation success the COG has achieved over the last 14 years. Some of Sharon’s major accomplishments during her tenure here in the San Gabriel Valley include: developing the Foothill Transit Zone Guidelines and approval of the application establishing Foothill Transit Agency working with Senator Adam Schiff to initiate legislation (Senate Bill 1847) that established the Gold Line Construction Authority, developing the Alameda Corridor-East Project concept as well as ensuring its inclusion in Federal Authorization legislation to support establishment of ACE, and obtaining nearly $1.5 billion in Federal, State, local and railroad funding commitments to support a successful ACE work plan. Sharon currently serves as the Director of Legislation for SCAG.
Hilda Solis	Hilda Solis currently serves as Secretary of Labor under the Obama administration. She was first elected to public office in 1985 as a member of the Rio Hondo Community College Board of Trustees. She served in the California State Assembly from 1992 to 1994, and in 1994 made history by becoming the first Latina elected to the California State Senate. Secretary Solis is perhaps most recognized in the San Gabriel Valley for her work on environmental issues. She was instrumental in securing the authorization of a federal study examining how the San Gabriel Valley’s recreational and environmental opportunities can be improved. In 2000, she became the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for her pioneering work on environmental justice issues in California. AB 216, which she authored, established the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy as a state agency charged with acquiring and managing public lands within the San Gabriel River and lower Los Angeles River watersheds for open-space, recreation, educational uses, and wildlife protection.
Glenn Southard	Glenn Southard has long been active in regional, state, and national organizations. He has served as president of the California City Management Foundation, president of the San Gabriel Valley City Manager's Association, and a member of the COG’s Executive Board. He was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the COG. He worked with former Claremont City Council Member and Mayor Judy Wright, who is also a former Jack Phillips Award winner, to secure the participation of many of the cities in the San Gabriel Valley. Glenn worked with the other city managers to support the COG by overseeing its formation and operations during its formative years and was a leading advocate of the San Gabriel Valley’s need to secure fair share allocation of resources. He was the first Chair of the SGVCOG City Manager’s Technical Advisory Committee. Glenn has received several prestigious honors during his career, including the In-Service Training Award from the International City/County Management Association and the Harry Scoville Award for distinguished performance in public administration from the American Society for Public Administration. Mr. Southard currently serves as the City Manager of the City of Indio.