Grossmont High School Art Teacher Nominated for Woman of the Year Honor

Eileen Mandell, a Grossmont High School art teacher, has been nominated for Woman of the Year in the art, media and culture category at the East County Chamber of Commerce's annual Women in Leadership Luncheon.
 
This nomination comes in part for her role as an art educator at Grossmont, “encouraging, promoting and building the arts in our school district, and making connections with the community through our art programs,” she says.

Mandell, an El Cajon resident who heads the Arts Department at Grossmont High, also is a local artist with her own photo site who develops district art and Career and Technical Education courses.

She has taught at Grossmont High since 1993, and at Mount Miguel High School before that.

Some 26 years ago, El Cajon businessman Robert Flan approached her about finding a way to promote the arts in East County high schools, she said.

“I suggested a districtwide student art exhibit,” she said. “He asked if I could devise a plan and he offered $1,000 in prize money. He wanted the students to know that art pays. He continued to financially support the student art show until he and his wife moved out of the area (moved to Australia!).

“Friends of East County Arts Inc. and the Associated Student Bodies of all our schools have supported the exhibit ever since.”

The San Diego East County Chamber of Commerce’s ninth Annual Women in Leadership Luncheon (WILL) is 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley, 7450 Hazard Center Dr.  in San Diego.

To register, visit this website.

Mary Lyons, president of University of San Diego and a retired Navy Reserve, will serve as the keynote speaker. Carol LeBeau, longtime TV personality and women’s health advocate, will be emcee.

The luncheon honors the professional accomplishments of women in the fields of Art, Media & Culture, Business, Education, Government, Healthcare and Non-Profits, as well as serving as a clothing and accessory drive for the San Diego chapter of Dress for Success.

Dress for Success provides much needed clothing, accessories and life coaching skills for women who are the survivors of abuse and helps them transition back into the mainstream workforce and society.