[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 57 (Friday, March 26, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING LYDIA MONDAVI

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 26, 2021

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor 
Lydia Mondavi, whom I have named the 2021 Woman of the Year in Napa 
County, California. Woman of the Year recognizes women who have made 
important contributions to California's 5th Congressional District in 
Arts and Culture, Professional Achievement, Entrepreneurship and 
Innovation or Community Service.
  The seeds that bloomed into Ms. Mondavi's community service lay 
nearly 240 years in the past. A member of the historic Rutledge family, 
who count among their members signers of the Declaration of 
Independence and Constitution, she has always embodied her ancestors' 
spirit of civic dedication. As a businesswoman and as a philanthropist, 
she has made her family and our district proud through her selfless 
action on behalf of others.
  In the early days of the corona virus pandemic, Ms. Mondavi employed 
this spark to ensure that all members of our community would have 
equitable access to COVID-19 testing services. Leveraging her 
healthcare and logistics experience as Chair of the Queen of the Valley 
Foundation Board of Trustees and owner of The Abernathy Group, Rutledge 
& Vine, and 29 Cosmetics, she united local and state governments, 
businesses, and non-profits to establish testing sites and deploy 
mobile testing teams. These sites have performed over 200,000 tests to 
date, including many for agricultural workers and other vulnerable 
populations. Now as doses of the vaccine become more available, she is 
again working with Core Response, Napa Valley Vintners and the Queen of 
the Valley Community Outreach program to launch an immunization clinic 
that will be online by the end of March.
  Aside from her efforts during the recent pandemic, Ms. Mondavi has 
served our Napa community through her role as an Advisory Board Member 
of The What. Sharing her experiences as an accomplished businesswoman 
and owner of three companies, she works with the organization to foster 
an open forum for women to learn, network, and grow. Her dedicated 
service to this mission has no doubt helped many women become industry 
leaders in the Napa Valley.
  Our community is immeasurably better for all of Lydia Mondavi's 
contributions and it is therefore fitting and proper that we honor her 
here today as Napa County's 2021 Woman of the Year.

                          ____________________