While most of Heather Brooks' work is behind the scenes, she took center stage Friday after being named Zonta Club's 2010 Woman of Achievement at the organization's annual luncheon.

Brooks, who has served as Cape Girardeau's first female assistant city manager since 2003, was recognized for her work with the city and as a dedicated community volunteer.

"I don't think of it as an award for me, but as recognition for our whole city team and our community partners and the projects we've worked on together," Brooks said.

Brooks serves on the board of directors of the United Way of Southeast Missouri and Old Town Cape. She works with the city's DREAM Development Team, Community Improvement District Committee, River Corridor Connections group, bicycle committee and Girardeau Goes Green Advisory Board. She's also a Zonta Club member.

"Her job gives her those community connections. She has taken a leadership role in the city and she takes her connections and what she does in her professional life and puts it on steroids to be involved in her community in such a huge way," said city manager Scott Meyer.

She also works hard to balance work and family, said Meyer. Brooks and her husband, Shawn, have a 2-year-old son, Christopher.

Other Women of Achievement nominees were: Avon Crocker, a stay-at-home mom and volunteer; Raelenna Ferguson a real estate broker and volunteer with Heart for Africa; Nancy Jernigan, executive director of The United Way of Southeast Missouri; Shelba Branscum, child development professor at Southeast Missouri State University; Deborah Gahan, mayor of Perryville; and Jane Cooper Stacy, former director of alumni services and development at Southeast Missouri State University.

For the first time this year, the Zonta Club presented a Lifetime Achievement Award to Grace Hoover, a retired Southeast Missouri State University home economics professor. Hoover taught for 28 years and along with leading the transition in her department from traditional home economic disciplines to focusing on cooking and sewing to the areas of child development, dietetics, fashion merchandising and interior design. She was also an advocate for female athletes as a member of the faculty committee that instituted guidelines for Title IX, the federal legislation which mandated equal facilities and opportunities for female athletes.

A Celebration Award was also given to Jeannie Hirsch Blaylock, a Cape Girardeau native who is now a television journalist in Florida. She contributed to the creation of the "Buddy Check 12" program to support early detection of breast cancer. Blaylock was unable to attend.

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

80 Independence Centre, Cape Girardeau, MO