DOWNEY - Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe and his wife, Julie, will be honored by the Downey Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday with its inaugural Humanitarian of the Year awards. The awards ceremony starts at 6 p.m. at the Rio Hondo Event Center.

Tickets are priced at $50 or $500 for a table of 10.

Chamber officials will bestow the Humanitarian of the Year award annually to community leaders "whose humanitarian contributions to our local community exemplify the principles of kindness and charity while displaying a passion for life and a sincere desire to work toward enhancing the lives of others."

The Knabes were chosen to receive the award "for their leadership and support of our local school districts, government agencies, law enforcement, social services, health care agencies, the arts, shelters for the homeless and programs for the underserved," chamber officials said.

"Because of your dedication and leadership, your focus on economic development, and the promotion of local businesses and job growth, the city of Downey and our neighboring communities will rebuild and prosper," officials said.

Supervisor Don Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November of 1996 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012.

Supervisor Knabe represents the Fourth District, which is a uniquely diverse area that is home to over two million residents and includes two of the nation's largest economic hubs; the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and Los Angeles International Airport. The Fourth District is also geographically diverse, stretching from Marina del Rey to the Palos Verdes Peninsula to Long Beach all the way east to Diamond Bar and dozens of cities in between. The Fourth District also includes Catalina Island and San Clemente Island.

Supervisor Knabe served on the President's Homeland Security Advisory Council and was Chair of the State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee. In 2006, Supervisor Knabe was appointed to the California Emergency Council.

Supervisor Knabe is President of the Coliseum Commission and the past Chairman of First 5 Los Angeles. He is a Member and past Chairman of the Urban County Caucus of the California State Association of Counties, an Executive Board Member of the California State Association of Counties, and is a former member of the Board of Governors for L.A. Care Health Plan. In addition, he is the Vice Chairman of the Health Sub-Committee for the National Association of Counties and a Trustee at the Aquarium of the Pacific located in Long Beach.

Supervisor Knabe is a leader in regional transportation currently serving as a Director and immediate past Chairman on the Board of Directors for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Supervisor Knabe is a member of the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (Metrolink), where he serves on the Legislative & Communications Committee as well as the Safety & Operations Committee.

Supervisor Knabe has a true passion for the arts and attributes much of his own personal success to an early involvement with music. His enthusiasm for the arts has resulted in the creation of several innovative youth programs and his own arts program, which provides grants to schools and community based organizations throughout the Fourth District.

Supervisor Knabe is respected for the strength of his grassroots support and considerable experience in local government, which have made him a highly regarded voice, not only at home in the Fourth District, but in Sacramento and Washington D.C. He was elected to the Cerritos City Council in 1980 and served as a Councilman for eight years, including two terms as Mayor. Supervisor Knabe was Mayor during the Cerritos Air Crash in 1986.

As Chief of Staff to the late Fourth District Supervisor Deane Dana, Supervisor Knabe gained invaluable insight into crucial Federal, State and Local issues and the needs of the Fourth District's two million constituents.

Supervisor Knabe is a veteran having served in the United States Navy. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa.

Supervisor Knabe and his wife, Julie, have been married for 44 years. Julie, a Long Beach native, is a past President of the Cerritos Chamber of Commerce and operates her own customer relations firm, J.D. Knabe & Associates. They have two married sons, and four incredible grandchildren!

Julie Knabe was born and raised in Long Beach and owns J.D. Knabe & Associates, a customer relations consulting firm. She says she "tells businesses what their customers think" through focus groups, community meetings, mystery shopping and surveys.

She also serves as an event planner for several non-profit organizations.

As a 41-year resident of Cerritos, Julie has been involved in numerous civic and charity groups, including the Woman's Club of Artesia-Cerritos. She is a two-time president of the Cerritos Chamber of Commerce, which has honored her as Business Person of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

She was a board member of the Friends of Arts Education of the Cerritos Performing Arts Center for 14 years.

She currently serves on a committee for the new Long Beach Ronald McDonald House and on governing boards for Lakewood Regional Medical Center and Musical Theater West.

The Knabes have been married 44 years. They have two sons and four grandchildren.

For tickets to the awards ceremony, call the chamber at (562) 923-2191.

********** Published: June 07, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 08