News Releases

For Immediate Release

February 22, 2016
For additional information:
Chato Hazelbaker
Chief Communications Officer
Telephone: 360-992-2921
Email: chazelbaker@clark.edu

 

Heidi Johnson Bixby Selected as the first Iris Legacy Award winner

 

VANCOUVER, Wash.—For more than 30 years, the Iris Awards and Woman of Achievement Awards have been honoring women who have had a positive impact on the Southwest Washington community. This year, the Iris Awards introduces a new award that celebrates the many women who have continued to make a difference in our community and created a lasting legacy since receiving their initial Iris or Woman of Achievement award.

The first recipient of the Legacy Award is Heidi M. Johnson Bixby, owner of Johnson Bixby & Associates, a comprehensive financial planning firm with locations in Vancouver and Longview. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business with an emphasis in financial planning from Marylhurst University in Portland, as well as her Associate of Arts from Clark College. She received a Women in Achievement award in 2004 for her community involvement and business leadership.

Beyond her success as a business owner, Bixby serves the community in a variety of roles. She is currently Chair of the Board of Directors for Columbia Springs, which provides over 5,000 kids and adults annually with the opportunity to get outdoors and to learn more about the natural world. She also supports ARC of Southwest Washington, where she and her team have made gift wrapping of donated items an annual tradition. Bixby is the treasurer for H-RoC and Global Sojourns Giving Circle. Other organizations Bixby supports with her time and resources include the Vancouver Downtown Association, Community Home Health & Hospice, Identity Clark County, the Nonprofit Network of SW Washington, the Clark County Skills Center, and Children’s Center. In addition to her involvement in the community and business accomplishments, Bixby is a world traveler and photographer who has traveled to more than 30 countries.

The other Iris Award winners being honored this year are Vancouver City Councilmember Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Katherine Garrett, the Housing First Program Director at Lincoln Place. The annual Iris Awards ceremony will be held on March 9, 2016, at Clark College’s Gaiser Student Center. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 6 p.m.

The event is open to the public and tickets are on sale through the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at http://tinyurl.com/2016IrisAwards. The cost is $35 per person; a table sponsorship, which includes six tickets, can be purchased for $250. Seating is limited.

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver. Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps. Anyone needing accommodation due to a disability in order to fully participate in this event should contact Clark College’s Disability Support Services Office at (360) 992-2314 or (360) 991-0901 (VP), or visit Penguin Union Building room 013,
by February 27.

About the Iris Awards
The Iris Awards are a continuation of a tradition of honoring women in Southwest Washington that began in 1985 with a photography exhibit at Clark College. Over the years, the annual event has developed into an official awards ceremony, with a nomination process open to all members of the local community.

The Iris Awards are supported by Clark College, the Clark College Foundation, Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, H-RoC, and the Vancouver Business Journal, which publishes the “Women in Business” directory, the only Portland/Vancouver metro area directory of businesses that are owned, directed or managed by women. The Iris Award winners will be featured in the 2016 “Women in Business” directory.

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