Jan Pye Honored as Woman of the Year

Desert Hot Springs City Leader Jan Pye Honored as Woman of the Year

RIVERSIDE – Desert Hot Springs Mayor Pro Tem Jan Pye, a leader, a role model and inspiration to many, was honored today by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors as Woman of the Year in the Fourth Supervisorial District, according to a news release.

The Mayor of Desert Hot Springs, Scott Matas; colleagues on the Desert Hot Springs City Council, Councilmembers Gary Gardner and Roger Nunez; City Manager Frank Luckino, city staff; and Coachella Valley community members Tori St. Johns and Frank Elmore, made the trip to Riverside this morning to join Pye as she received this recognition.

Supervisor V. Manuel Perez selected Pye for this honor as part of Riverside County’s commemoration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. He spoke about first meeting her 15 years ago and recounted her leadership and service to the community.

“We have a lot of folks in our lives as we grow up, from childhood to adulthood that inspire us, that motivate us, to give us purpose, that show us a way,” said Supervisor Perez. “That’s Jan Pye, a wonderful woman who deserves this, by far.” Speaking on her community service, he added, “All of these efforts come from your heart, they come from your soul, and that’s the reason why you’re up here, Jan, because we love you back home. I certainly do, and you mean a lot to me and to a lot of these folks here, especially folks from the Coachella Valley, the Fourth District, and especially folks from Desert Hot Springs. So, Jan, felicidades, congratulations!”

“I’m not supposed to be crying,” Pye said. “When I got the call to receive this honor, I walked up and down my house and it reminded me of my grandmother and how she used to dance in Baptist congregations, and so did I! I thank my colleagues on the Council, Gary Gardner, Roger Nunez, our Honorable Mayor Scott Matas, Frank Luckino and all of the staff, and a fellow board member of Regional Access Project, Tori St. Johns. And I thank you, as my silent mentor, that you acknowledge me by what you do, walking your talk.”

Pye moved to the City of Desert Hot Springs in 1998 to pursue a better education for her eight-year-old daughter and the community was very welcoming and helped raise her. She wanted her daughter to have a better education, free from drugs and gangs and issues that, any mother or father, would always think about with their kids.

Pye was first appointed to the Desert Hot Springs City Council in 1999 and courageously made the tough decisions to help the city avoid bankruptcy and get back on sound and stable financial ground. She has a bachelor’s degree in business development and a master’s degree in financial management.

Besides raising her daughter, she is actively involved in many community service activities and organizations. She is a member of the Desert Hot Springs Woman’s Club, Springs Elks Lodge #2639, the Senior Center Advisory Committee, the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society, and the Spa City Paletteer Art Club. She is in community organizations such as the Language and Cultural Center Board, the Desert Hot Springs Advisory Committee, the Coachella Valley Association of Governments Homelessness Committee, and chair of the ad hoc Desert Hot Springs Homelessness Committee. She helps mentor youth of all ages through Rotary and through the Ophelia Project. She is also on the RAP Foundation Board since 1999 and has served as chair twice. She was appointed to the Palm Springs Cemetery District board in 2004 and has been its chair since December 2006. The district continually is awarded “District of Distinction” by the California Special Districts Association.