Of the 35 women nominated to represent the Women of Influence North County, Templeton broker and activist Elissa Williams was awarded this year’s title.
A broker at REMAX in Templeton, Williams is a leader in her office.
“I opened up my brokerage and I don’t sell. I teach and train and develop my agents. That’s what I do,” Williams said.
However, her influence extends beyond the brokerage.
“When I opened my company, one of the biggest things was that this company would be giving back to the community, not just selling real estate. So we have not only REMAX Success but Success Charities,” Williams said.
Her organization, Success Charities, focuses on filling the needs of children, seniors and veterans in the community.
Julie Matthews, one of the panel of 8 to 10 committee members who helped select this year’s Woman of Influence, shared how the evaluation process works.
“It was a blind nomination. We took out all businesses and we took out all names because we’re so connected in this north county we know everyone,” Matthews said.
Matthews shared that Williams' merits stood out, scoring the highest on the judges’ rubric.
“The impact that she makes — it was 2 pages of outreach that she does,” Matthews said. “I even had to call one of her agents and say, 'is it true that she’s doing all these things?'”
This win has been a humbling experience for Williams.
“They said I was one of the finalists of this year’s Women of Influence and I was shocked and humbled,” Williams said.
Moving forward, she hopes to use her title for an even greater influence.
“It instills in me a desire to use this to reach that many more people to give back in that many more ways,” Williams said.
