2011 Buena Park Rotary Citizen of the Year Barbara Michel

Buena Park Rotary Citizen of the Year is Barbara Michel for 2010-11

Barbara Michel displays a strong sense of ethics and a professional demeanor when dealing with students, parents, teachers, school employees, district staff, educational administrators, Chamber of Commerce members and legislators. As a 25 year Buena Park School District accounting department employee and 10 year Governing Board member, education has always been Barbara Michel’s number one priority. She has made it a point to interact with students in order to follow up on practices that improve learning; made policy; striven to understand school finance and improve parental involvement. As a school board member, she served as president three years, including this new year, and clerk for three years. For the major portion of her school board career, Ms. Michel has volunteered in a classroom at every school in the Buena Park School District. She served as an officer on the PTA and a parent representative on the school site council; as a Buena Park School District representative to the Buena Park Chamber of Commerce; as a political representative for the California School Employees Association meeting with Legislators concerning educational issues.
For the last 7 years, Barbara has been very active with the Buena Park and La Palma American Cancer Society Relay for Life, serving as Co-Event Chair and most recently, Team Captain Coordinator. The Relay for Life is a Michel family event as Barbara’s mother, mother-in-law, aunt, and many good friends have died from this horrible disease. They Relay in memory of their loved ones and in hopes of finding a cure for cancer in the near future.
Barbara has been married to Dennis for 47 years. They have two daughters, Lori and Shelley and two granddaughters, Taylor, 8 years old and Jaden, 6 years old.