Wickett named Zonta's Woman of the Year

Mar. 13--March 13, 2006 - Traci Wickett never wanted recognition, but she's been named Brownsville's Woman of the Year and there's nothing she can do about it. "To me, it's uncomfortable to take credit as an individual for work that's been done in teams," said Wickett, 51, chief executive officer of the United Way of Southern Cameron County. Wickett was chosen as Woman of the Year by the Zonta Club of Brownsville, a branch the women's or-ganization Zonta International "One of our goals is to recognize a woman that has worked to promote the status of women in our community," said Annabell Alegria, chair of the Zonta committee that selected Wickett. "She has just a real true sense of community." Wickett will be recognized as woman of the year in a special ceremony at 7 tonight at the Four Points Hotel Sheraton. Tickets to the event, including dinner, are $20. A $1,000 donation will be made to the charity of Wickett's choice. Despite the good the recognition could do for United Way, Wicket wasn't interested in personal public-ity. "I did resist a little bit," she said. "I have a really low embarrassment point." Although Wickett is a paid member of United Way, she said the volunteers deserve more credit. "We live and die by the volunteer," she said. "In the last 12 months we've worked with 350 to 400 volun-teers." Born in Ohio and raised in central Texas, Wickett moved to Brownsville in 1983 with her husband Rick Wickett and got work as a banker. Joining service organizations later on, she found her true passion was in community work. "I saw first hand how much really life-changing work goes on with a tiny, tiny staff and almost no money," she said. "That really started my passion for the work nonprofits do in the community." For the past 10 years Wickett has worked with the United Way of Southern Cameron County, although she admits it was originally supposed to be a two-year assignment. "When I had my 10 year anniversary, my board was reminding me that I said I would stay for only two years," she said. "I said a I was a slow learner." After working with the United Way to improve neighborhoods and help those in need, Wickett didn't want to leave. "I know that all the work we do changes lives and I've never had a job where I could know that to be true," she explained. "I'm a big believer in community building and the people behind the scenes who make our community a better place to live and work," Wickett continued, adding that service organizations like the Lion's Club and various Rotary clubs lift the community. "They do so much that goes unnoticed. People may see results but they don't know what all went in to making them happen." Alegria said local Zonta members were happy with their selection of Wickett. "I suspect that if she didn't do this through United Way, she would find another way," she said. "She wants to leave this a better place." 

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