2024 Women Leader Honorees

Learn about the women leaders who are being honored this year.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Regina Yin

Regina Yin was born in China and grew up in Taiwan. She came to America to attend graduate school at the U of Washington in Seattle. She was determined to succeed and support herself, and worked full-time as a nanny and housekeeper, living with a doctor's family to take care of six young children while she pursued her studies. She also cared for multiple generations of extended relatives who arrived to this country, and lived with her and her husband until they could become settled and independent in this country.

She became a McDonald's Franchisee with her husband CC in 1984, expanding to over 30 restaurants. In her role as a owner/operator for over four decades, she has been very generous towards the local community, including many nonprofit organizations and schools. She also served in leadership positions for the McDonald's Women's Operators Network , and helped to raise over a million dollars for students of all background through the Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship Program. She was also recognized in 2019 as the “Woman of the Year” by Assemblymember Jim Frazier.

Regina and her husband CC, are very engaged in the community on a local and regional level. Through their Yin Ranch property and their McDonald's restaurants in Solano County, they have generously supported school programs, charities, sports programs, the arts, seniors, students, minorities, disabled persons, churches, and the homeless, to name a few. After the devastating LNU Complex wildfires 2020, Regina and her husband C.C. were determined to rebuild the Yin Ranch event centers for the benefit of the community. Even though she was in her mid 80’s, Regina helped to plan and rebuild her ranch property, and continued to host many events to serve the general public and many nonprofit organizations. Yin Ranch is undergoing rezoning to become public park that will include an Asian Heritage Center.

Woman of the Year

Cynthia Garcia

Cynthia Garcia has been Solano County Superior Courts Collaborative or Specialty Courts Manager for nearly nine years. Before that, she worked for Solano C ommunity College, City of Fairfield, and for several local nonprofits in resource
development and administration. This year, Cynthia has brought in nearly $4million in state and federal grants to address justice issues in Solano County. Under her leadership, Solano Collaborative Courts have grown from five courts to nine.She is currently leading the development of the CARE Act Court, and developing programs that address violent offenders, create an alumni connections group and mentor program, and address equity and inclusion in Collaborative Courts.

Ms. Garcia believes that professional development is key to personal growth and attaining excellence and has created opportunities for all team members to receive training in best practices. The Judicial Council of California has recognized her
excellence by inviting her to be faculty to teach about grant writing. Cynthia is a founding member of Drug Safe Solano, a past Fairfield-Suisun Rotary Club president, a Fairfield Police Activities League (PAL) volunteer, and a mentor to a Rotary Success Scholar youth. Cynthia is a graduate of Stanford University (AB) and the University of Southern California (MBA).

Woman of the Year

Tiffanee Jones

Tiffanee Jones is a Vallejo resident who thrived in Vallejo public schools. She holds a Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. Tiffanee received her Bachelor's degree in Business Administration - Organizational Management and a minor in
Education from Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds certifications in Dropout Prevention and Restorative Justice and Social Emotional Learning Certification.

Jones began her career as a Correctional Officer then transitioning into Probation Officer and was instrumental in developing a cross agency Juvenile Diversion Program that included County Probation, High Schools and the District Attorney’s Office in Gainesville Georgia. However, for the last 20 years, she has passionately served in the field of education in Northern California. She is currently the District Director for Assemblymember Lori D. Wilson, owner of Forward Education LLC and the Co-Director for the Willie B. Adkins Scholars Program formerly known as the Tanner Project. This is a program focused on increasing the number of Black students who will attend College. The Program has grown to include sites three sites in Solano County. Ms. Jones’ primary role has been to develop and implement early intervention programs to assist students who are not benefiting from a regular school program. She focuses on students who have a history of truancy, discipline, mental health/trauma, foster youth and homeless youth.

“If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.”

—Dolly Parton, singer, songwriter, author, actress, humanitarian

Woman of the Year

Lisa Hilas

Lisa Hilas is an entrepreneurial leader and advocate for accessible education and the transformative power of the arts. As President of On Stage Vacaville, she has focused on creating inclusive programs that celebrate diversity and representation, such as the Synergy Adaptive Arts Program for neurodiverse children. Lisa’s deep belief in education as a tool to reframe societal narratives about disability guides her work. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at 33, her personal journey informs her commitment to ensuring accurate representation for all, particularly disabled individuals.

Currently pursuing an MA in Arts Administration and Entrepreneurship, Lisa is dedicated to using education and the arts to unite communities. She believes that the arts help people bond over shared experiences, fostering understanding and growth despite differences. Through her leadership, Lisa seeks to create opportunities for all individuals to learn, grow, and find joy in life, reinforcing the belief that what unites us is far greater than what divides us.

Woman of the Year

Judge Nichelle Holmes

The Honorable Nichelle N. Holmes currently serves as a Judge in the Contra Costa Superior Court. Prior to her appointment, she served as a Supervising Deputy District Attorney with the
Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, where she oversaw the Juvenile Unit. Judge Holmes earned her B.A. with honors in Sociology from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 2010. She was admitted to the State Bar of California in December 2010.

Judge Holmes has held numerous leadership positions within the legal community, including President of the Charles Houston Bar Association, Chair of the Charles Houston Bar Institute, and President of the Bay Area Black Prosecutors’ Association. Additionally, she has served as a member of the University of San Francisco School of Law Board of Governors.
Before taking the bench, Judge Holmes was a prominent civil rights leader, advocating for diversity, inclusion, civil rights, voting rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights across
California. During her tenure as President of the Charles Houston Bar Association, she facilitated the formation of the CHBA Racial Justice Task Force and the Charles Houston Bar Institute, which raised over $150,000 for scholarships for underprivileged college and law students. She also served as the President of the Bay Area Black Prosecutor’s Association. She served on the Board of Governors of the University San Francisco School of Law and on the board of the California Association of black lawyers. She is a member of the Solano Valley Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Throughout her legal career, Judge Holmes has tirelessly worked to promote diversity within the legal profession and to ensure justice and fairness in the criminal justice system. A proud native of Richmond, California, she is the mother of two adult children.

Woman of the Year

Jeann McDougald

Jeann McDougald has extensive work as a psychotherapist, including for the State of California. In all of her considerable service, whether volunteer or as a part of her career, Ms. McDougald has centered a holistic support approach with an emphasis on collaboration with others. She is always focused on connecting individuals to the resources they are in need of, maintaining that information and resources are to be shared widely, beyond one’s immediate circle to aid the entire village in need of development and support. She is passionate about meeting individuals where they are at and helping them to set and achieve goals one step at a time.

In addition to the kinds of transformative work Ms. McDougald is involved in, as noted above, she has also 1. Established a pioneering program at Travis Air Force Base, one of the first military Breast Cancer Support groups in California. Importantly, Ms. McDougald included a much more rigorous psychosocial approach to the idea of a support group, creating also a women’s pathway to health that included advocacy for medical needs. Out of the support groups came many other projects as Ms. McDougald observed then served, including Bosom Buddy pillows, the creation of Celebration of Life programs and changing a military policy for women undergoing chemotherapy in which they now don’t have to remove their knitted caps to enter the cafeteria. Over time, Ms. McDougald also became aware of and then worked to meet the need on base for support groups for men undergoing prostate cancer. 2. Worked with Empower Solano to put Covid education in the hands of the most vulnerable female populations here in Solano County.